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Combat sports providers in The Hague go for the VA quality mark and NIVM label
Since the middle of this year, combat sports providers in the municipality of The Hague have had the option of applying for the Keurmerk Vechtsportautoriteit (the VA quality mark), or for the Veilig Verantwoord Sporten (safe and responsible sport) label of the Dutch institute for combat sports and society, NIVM. Providers receive support from a process coordinator, who will also be active in 2022 to support the dozens of parties involved. The innovation platform SportKnowHowXL explains the initiative.
Pjotr Behrtel is a sports consultant with the municipality of The Hague and first sets out the reason for the process that has been started. “There was the advance announcement of a Combat Sports Authority quality mark aimed at specific sports with which the municipality had had little or no contact. These are sports that are not affiliated with NOC*NSF, such as kickboxing, Thai boxing, MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Krav Maga and grappling.”
The Hague Sports Agreement
The popularity and appeal of these combat sports are considerable, and every one of them is growing in the Netherlands and in The Hague. “The educational and social potential of these sports is well known,” says Behrtel. “They lend themselves perfectly to contributing to the Hague Sports Agreement and the social themes connected with it. Partly because of the various forms of organisation in the combat sports world, the diversity of provision, the many branches of the sport, the many federations and the lack of oversight of the large number of these organisations in The Hague, the municipality of The Hague decided in mid-2021 to appoint a ‘combat sports process coordinator’ for this branch of sport.”