FRENCH SPORTS MINISTRY CHOOSES BOXING AS HOST FEDERATION FOR MMA

[London. 21 January 2020 ] The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) welcomes the announcement earlier today that the French Boxing Federation has been given the responsibility of supervising the first phase of development of the sport of MMA in France.

This decision, announced by the French Sport Ministry, is part of a historic legalisation of the sport of MMA in France. In a statement, the Ministry said: "Having requested and analysed all relevant information received from a number of combat federations who were interested in welcoming MMA, we have decided, by an official Ministerial Decision, to delegate the sport of MMA to the French Boxing Federation."

It has been made clear that this will be a temporary arrangement and, after a year, the Ministry will decide whether MMA is ready to become an independent federation in France.

Kerrith Brown, IMMAF President said;

"We are delighted to see that Boxing will now be the partner of MMA in France, where it has extremely well established and respected structures. Above all, we believe that by partnering with boxing, MMA will show that it shares a willingness to create the right culture and values, especially in membership and education programmes for athletes, coaches and officials. "

Densign White, IMMAF CEO said:

"This is another significant milestone for the sport of amateur MMA. France is a major sporting nation and host of the Olympic Games in 2024, so partnering with boxing will be a massive boost in the growth of MMA in the country. This is a major step in the ongoing campaign by IMMAF for international recognition of MMA as a sport with Olympic values."

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Notes for Editors:

IMMAF has a seven-year track record of organising international amateur MMA Championships and developing the sport globally.

IMMAF has close to 100 members and National Olympic Committee recognition in around 40 countries.

IMMAF has advanced programmes for education and certification of coaches, referees and other technical officials as well as Youth Development.

With Olympian leaders coming from judo, IMMAF fully respects Olympic values.

IMMAF has hosted World and Continental Championship tournaments since 2014 (which have been broadcast globally).

IMMAF has a democratically elected board, 5 years of audited accounts, General Assemblies, and a robust anti-doping programme.

IMMAF governance is subject to independent audit by the Sport Integrity Global Alliance

Contact Information:

Isobel Carnwath - Director of Brand & Communications

Email: carnwath@immaf.org

International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF)

www.immaf.org

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