News
Meet… Fabrice Deters
The Vechtsportautoriteit (Dutch Combat Sports Authority) consists of a board, a supervisory board and an office. They are supported with expertise by a large number of advisers who sit on five committees. But who are the people on those committees?
Each of the VA committees focuses on a theme:
– Events and galas
– Medical and health
– Quality and licences
– Technical matters
– Communications
Over the coming period we will introduce you to a number of their members, to give you a better picture of the people who are involved in the substantive work of the VA.
The committee member we present here is Fabrice Deters.
Fabrice Deters (second from the left) with colleagues and analysts from Veronica Fight
‘As editor-in-chief of Veronica Fight I help bring the top level of our sports to a wide audience. These days that happens through a whole range of platforms, from television and streaming services to the various social media. The knowledge I have about that is what I bring to the meetings of the VA Communications Committee.’
‘I do not practise the sport myself, so I see myself mainly as an enthusiast. I have been involved with combat sports ever since my graduation project. Since then I have filled many roles: I had my own combat sports magazine, worked for a promoter and as a manager for fighters, and now I work at Talpa for Veronica Fight. Combat sport is a large part of my life.’
‘When I was part of Alistair Overeem’s management team, we had a meeting with the mayor of Amsterdam, Van der Laan, to talk about the future of kickboxing. In 2011 kickboxing was struggling enormously with an image problem. Promoters also no longer dared to take risks in organising events. During that conversation we told him how matters were arranged in the United States with the state athletic commissions. Those are government bodies that ensure safety and transparency. When I later heard that the Vechtsportautoriteit was being set up, I knew immediately that I had to contribute in my own way to the sport I have been active in for almost 20 years.’
‘What I find particularly interesting is that through the VA we can genuinely make a positive contribution to the sport. I have always been intrigued by the fact that we have a sport with so many different federations, and that we do not have a single federation as tennis, gymnastics, hockey or football do. I would very much like to see a single federation in the future, and combat sport being viewed and recognised as any other serious sport.’
Also in this series: