(London.24th September 2015) The Irish Amateur Pankration Association, the governing body for mixed martial arts in the Republic of Ireland, has announced that its national Amateur team tryouts will be held under the directives of SafeMMA-Ireland. SafeMMA- Ireland is the Irish branch of UK based voluntary medical consultancy and non-profit services provider, Safe MMA, which was founded to address medical risk to MMA athletes in view of there being no regulation of the sport within the UK. Under Safe MMA guidelines, minimum medical safety requirements for MMA events include the presence of a qualified doctor, alongside a paramedic team, to conduct pre/ post fight medical examinations and to issue injury suspensions. Athlete medical suspensions are published and voluntarily honoured by all promoters electing to work with the scheme. Also under the protocol, professional competitors must have completed an annual medical examination and provided clear blood test results for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. The Safe MMA promoter’s agreement was originally founded by professional MMA promoters. It remains a professional standard that competitors must forgo the costs of an annual medical examination and blood tests, under the latterly formed IAPA and United Kingdom Mixed Martial Arts Federation. Promoters of Amateur MMA matches have been slower to comply to voluntary regulation, particularly medical clearance criteria due to cited costs to unpaid athletes. However Safe MMA’s onsite event guidelines have been widely adopted across Amateur events in Republic of Ireland, where there has been pressure from the Irish government for all sports to demonstrate adherence to safety standards. In demanding Safe MMA vetting of Amateur athletes to compete in the Irish Team Trials, the IAPA is taking a progressive step for grassroots mixed martial arts within the region. The decision follows the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s adoption of Safe MMA medical clearance services for Amateur athletes competing in IMMAF international competitions. The IAPA Irish Team Trials take place on Sunday, October 18 at SBGi gym headquarters, under IMMAF Amateur MMA rules. Successful athletes will represent the Republic of Ireland at the IMMAF European Open Championships taking place 19 -22 November in Birmingham (UK). Participation in IMMAF championships not only creates the opportunity for athletes to medal internationally, but also to figure in the IMMAF Amateur MMA rankings now watched by leading matchmakers worldwide. The IMMAF European Open Championships will be broadcast on UFC FIGHT PASS and international television. Amateur MMA athletes wishing to compete in IMMAF competitions, please contact your national federation for team tryouts information: http://www.immaf.org/members/members-immaf/
