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  - CANADIAN MMA REGULATION BECOMING A HOT TOPIC
Sunday, November 04, 2007 - by Marco Antico - MMAWeekly.com
Ken Hayashi, commissioner of the Ontario Athletic Commission in Canada, spoke to MMAWeekly recently about his views regarding the increasing number of mixed martial arts shows taking place on Ontario Indian Reservations.
“Those guys are taking a big chance with putting on these shows. If someone gets seriously hurt there will be serious liability issues for those connected with the event and it will set the sport back several years in Ontario. Especially if it’s found that they’ve not done the due diligence that other professional athletic commissions are doing,” he explained, as he referred mainly to medical testing such as CAT scans, EEGs, and full blood work (Hep B, Hep C and HIV), which most other provincial commissions require.
“I highly doubt whether these guys are even making much money from these shows. The whole thing kind of makes me scratch my head,” continued Hayashi.
“Our lawyers have concluded that these events are clearly illegal under section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code, which does apply to these native reserves since it’s a federal law. But it’s not up to my office to lay charges. I have informed the local police to investigate the matter and it’s up to them to decide what to do. In Quebec a while back, they charged fighters as they stepped off the reserve, so that’s another option they have.”
When asked if these shows may prompt the government to consider instituting regulations to control future professional events, he emphatically responded, “There’s no way. The Ministry’s position is that we’ll first need to see an Amateur safety record established and Section 83 would also have to be reworded. Only then may the province choose to regulate MMA.”
Asked what would happen to a promoter that tried to hold an MMA show on government land, Hayashi explained, “I’m sure they would be charged under section 83 as people have been in the past in Ontario.”
Despite the Commissioner’s warnings, many people in Ontario feel this is the best way to proceed, basically trying to force the Ministry to regulate the sport.
There is an event scheduled on Nov. 3 just outside of Hamilton, Ontario at the Six Nations Reserve.
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