Meet… Hesron Emanuel

The office of the VA (Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit, the Dutch Combat Sports Authority) has been reinforced with Hesron Emanuel. He studies Law at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam) and is an ambitious kickboxer. An ideal combination for the Vechtsportautoriteit. During his final internship, Hesron will mainly focus on legal binding in combat sports.

Hesron, who are you?
‘I am 22 years old, a student of Law at a university of applied sciences, and a kickboxer. I live in Mijdrecht and I train four or five times a week. At the moment I compete in the C class. Later this month I have another bout, which I am looking forward to. I am glad I was able to talk to the VA about an internship, where they understand that I have to combine sport and study.’

It is no coincidence that you ended up at the VA?
‘I find Law very interesting, but I increasingly came to the conclusion that I want to apply it in a field that interests me anyway. So law and combat sports is the ideal match. I had applied for an internship before and I am very glad that it has worked out now. In the first few days I immediately notice that it is inspiring to work in the combat sports world and to meet people you admire as an athlete and enthusiast.’

You are going to work on legal binding. What is that and why is it important?
‘In plain language: how do you ensure that rules in combat sports really apply to everyone? If legal binding is not properly arranged, people can say: I have not agreed to anything, these rules do not apply to me. That makes it difficult for sports federations or supervisory bodies to take measures if someone has misbehaved. That can concern athletes or trainers, but also the audience at events.’

‘It is of great importance for combat sports that the same rules apply to everyone, and that everyone has the same rights and obligations. As an athlete you want the same rules to apply to your opponent as to you, for example when it comes to doping. And for combat sports it is extremely important for credibility that these matters are properly arranged.’

‘Combat sports are in a very interesting phase, with the establishment of a new combat sports federation. That federation of course has to start out with a very strong legal foundation, on which we as a sport can build further. I am proud to be able to contribute to that.’