Mr. Brown talked about the efforts of National Federations in Africa and the progress that the sport is making in the continent
The 2024 edition of the IMMAF African Championship began yesterday with the first-ever Youth African tournament, marking a significant milestone in the development of MMA on the continent. The action from Windhoek, Namibia, continues today with the first round of Junior and Senior competition and it goes until June 1 with all the finals taking place at the Hybrid Fitness Center.
This event follows the historic 2023 IMMAF Africa Championships, where Angola became the first nation outside of South Africa to host the continent’s highest-profile amateur MMA event.
Following the success in Angola, the next generation of African MMA stars will be in action at the historic event in Namibia and ahead of the event, IMMAF President Kerrith Brown expressed his pride in the progress made by national federations across Africa, despite the numerous challenges they face.
“I am very proud of the national federations, especially in Africa. We all know the difficulties and challenges they must overcome to prepare athletes for MMA competition. Our development program aims to elevate athletes to the next level, but this is not without its challenges. Funding remains a critical issue, as we are not yet recognized as an international federation. This lack of recognition affects the ability of national federations to secure financial support from sports ministries and national Olympic committees,” Brown stated.
The IMMAF president highlighted the importance of breaking down these barriers and supporting national federations through reduced fees and sponsorship opportunities.
“It’s about really breaking those boundaries down and for us to support national federations on lesser fees, lesser participation fees, and other ways in which we can find sponsorship for the athletes,” he added.
Nevertheless, Brown is optimistic about the future, noting the transition of several African athletes from amateur to professional levels.
Names like Nkosi Ndebele and Eliezer Kubanza came through the ranks of the IMMAF African Championships and are now global MMA stars at the professional level.
One of the reasons for the growth of MMA in Africa has been the efforts of National Federations when it comes to educating people about the sport. Brown stressed on the importance of this and praised the commitment of national federations in educating at every level and achieving recognition within their respective countries.
“Educating the government through its various departments to understand this new wave of MMA is essential to ensure the sport’s safety and education are met with the right values. Countries like South Africa, Angola, and now Namibia are pushing the boundaries and showing strong interest in hosting the African championships. DR Congo, Zambia, Nigeria—these are all federations that are starting to see the work that has been contributed,” he said.
Despite the challenges of securing local sponsorship and governmental support, Brown commended the efforts of the IMMAF Family in Africa in empowering themselves to meet the sport’s demands. He spoke about the transformative impact of MMA on athletes’ lives, providing them with direction, purpose, and focus.
“The presidents of the national federations should be proud of the work they are doing for these athletes. They are changing the lives of these athletes on a day-to-day basis,” Brown said.
Looking ahead to the 2024 African Championship in Namibia, Brown concluded by expressing his excitement about the level of competition and the continued development of MMA in Africa.
“We can look forward to a good level of competition this year. The national federations have been preparing since the last African championships and the World Championships last year, so the level is increasing year by year. It is not just about the competition; it is about the ecosystem – from coaches to referees to judges. This year, we are looking to improve from 2023’’ he concluded.
