The Town of Drayton Valley continues work on creating a combative sports commission.
A combative sports commission governs sports like boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). Currently, when such a tournament is held in a community, a floating commission comes to town to oversee things. The creation of Drayton’s own commission was spurred by the gym SBG Drayton Valley, who would like to start hosting tournaments on a regular basis.
At the Town’s Nov. 3 meeting, Brad Kelley and Lee Mein with SBG Drayton Valley met with town council to answer any questions they may have.
One of the top concerns of town council was in regards to liability, and who would be on the hook should an injury happen in the ring.
Mein replied that he carries insurance for such an eventuality, which covers the commission, the venue, and the Town. Mein pointed out that, in the grand scheme, MMA is actually a very safe sport thanks to the personnel involved.
“The key to the safety of the sport is the referee,” said Mein. “I will pay a fortune to have a good referee come and do my events. More than a doctor or a paramedic, the referee is the one who decides whether the guy is hurt or not hurt.”
Kelly also weighed in, pointing out that the Drayton Valley Rodeo and the Thunder in the Valley drag races are equally just as dangerous.
Councillor Bill Ballas asked how many people they hope their tournaments would bring in.
Kelly replied, they hope to host their tournaments in the Drayton Valley Omniplex, which could hold between 1500 and 2000 for an MMA event. Kelly added, they’re hoping to host two per year.
Council still has a few more rounds of public consultation to go through before forming the commission. Next will be a public hearing at an upcoming town council meeting.
Comments