Picture: athletes take part at the French MMA national team tryouts Article translated via Google with additional text by IMMAF.org’s Jorden Curran. Visit onlike.net for the original article by AnthonyBoscher. [caption id="attachment_10722" align="alignright" width="508"]
Retired UFC veteran Cyrille Diabate speaks with French MP Patrick Vignal[/caption] It is clear to see that today MMA has become a mass phenomenon. Whether the United States, Asia or even in France, the crowds are growing larger. In our region (France) however, the situation is a little different. Although the sport is not prohibited in the strict sense, it is not yet fully recognized. There is a common misconception of MMA being illegal in France, and this is not quite accurate. A full-fledged MMA event took place in Paris for the first time last year, and while those who are against the sport were caught off guard, the event itself was well organised and compliant with the law. For a legal perspective on how the first MMA event was allowed to take place in France, click HERE. Turning the Tables Members of Parliament have now reached out to a selection of France’s influential figures in the world of MMA Two MPs, Mr Patrick Vignal (Deputy of the 9th district of Herault) and Mr. Jacques Grosperrin (Senator of Doubs) were responsible for a study to know the ins and outs of “the practice of mixed combat in France.” This mission will end at the end of September with a presentation of the report to the Prime Minister, Mr Manuel Valls. To do this, they interviewed all local MMA stakeholders, including MMA coach Fernand Lopez, former UFC and kickboxing veteran Cyrille Diabate, and former French Judo champion/French Commission of Mixed Martial Arts President Bertrand Amoussou. A total of over 100 hours of transcripts were collected. Currently in the project drafting stage, parliamentarians now need strong assets to enable them to carry the project through. To accomplish this, they have developed different questionnaires (anonymous) for practitioners, sports educators and fighters, both professional and amateur. · You practice MMA: http://bit.ly/2ameg3X · You are a sports instructor: http://bit.ly/2avmBnf · You are a professional fighter or amateur: http://bit.ly/2a9prJA I urge readers to participate as it is through this participatory momentum that the project can succeed. In addition, UFC France have strongly supported the project and has partnered with the CFMMA (French Commission of Mixed Martial Arts ) to develop an online petition for official recognition of MMA in France. The latter can be found on Change.org this link or the MMAenFrance.fr information portal. This initiative will , I hope, to support the work of the two parliamentary . To change the mentalities In general, one can only applaud the work done by the two parliamentarians. Nevertheless, the journey for recognition must also go through a change in the mentality. To achieve this, the press has a role to play. Speaking in a previous interview, French MMA competitor Nordine Taleb stated: “The recognition of MMA in France must also go through a highlighting of athletes. “Currently, the press approaches MMA only to emphasize the violence of the sport, the death of a fighter, or when a mainstream element is grafted to the MMA.” For example, France’s lefigaro.fr highlighted the recent meeting between Conor McGregor and Cristiano Ronaldo. Also, French UFC contender Taylor Lapilus was referenced in the newspaper L’Equipe on 28 November 2015. However, the newspaper speaks only of his recent defeat. Interestingly, the article is classified in the “Boxing” category, without a dedication section for MMA. The recent victory of Francis Ngannou, a great French hope in the UFC heavyweight division, is not even addressed. The MMA community must be united and mobilized if the press is to cover this sport correctly. I sincerely hope that one day athletes will benefit from all of this.]]>
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