The IMMAF has developed rapidly since its foundation in February 2012, and as the task of furthering MMA world-wide progresses the board has made some changes to accommodate for the next steps of development. On October 1st Mr. Bertrand Amoussou will assume the role of President and current President Mr. August Wallén will assume a board member position. Since its foundation the IMMAF has had a successful first year and a half with currently 21 member federations, all non-profit and democratic as according to international standards. The federation has launched the first World Championships in amateur MMA to be held in July 2014, established relations with industry leaders and the MMA community, attended the SportAccord Convention and made headway in several countries when it comes to creating a solid position for MMA in the sports community. The overall focus these first months has been on establishing member federations, thus ensuring the same structure as for all major sports, enabling proper and safe governance for MMA. This work continues and with 143 pending applications in the pipeline the number of member federations is expected to reach 40 by the summer of 2014. To move forward with this task however there is a need to further step up the work on gaining informal and formal approval for MMA around the world. Representing MMA towards the international sports community and towards politicians in countries where MMA has a difficult position becomes increasingly more important. To meet this challenge the board has decided to re-arrange the tasks within the group to ensure that roles and responsibilities fit well with the next stages of development. On October 1st the President Mr. August Wallén will step down and the current Vice President Mr. Bertrand Amoussou will assume the Presidency. Mr. Wallén will continue as a board member, focusing on issues pertaining to the World Championships. Mr. George Sallfeldt will replace Mr. Amoussou as Vice President. The coming two months Mr. Wallén and Mr. Amoussou will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition of the Presidency. “Bertrand has an outstanding reputation from his days as a champion of both judo and ju-jitsu. Having navigated the difficult political climate in France for years and as former ambassador for ju-jitsu in SportAccord, he is the perfect person to lead the IMMAF as we move forward” says August Wallén. “We are all here in service of the sport, not to maintain titles, and to me it’s important to nurture a culture where we remain flexible and allocate our time where we are best needed. Right now the World Championships are around the corner and that is where I can best serve the IMMAF, and with the challenges that lie ahead on the international sports arena I am confident that Bertrand will do a fantastic job as President.” The current board is an interim board which will serve until the first General Assembly where the IMMAF members will vote on a new board. Click here to read about Mr. Amoussou.]]>
