London. July 10 — The 2022 IMMAF Oceania Championships were stripped of their IMMAF hosting rights earlier today, rendering the amateur tournament a national event only.
The competition had already been stopped yesterday (9 July), on the first day of matches, by the IMMAF President due to onsite medical provision not fulfilling IMMAF’s gold standard. However, the medical requirements remained unfulfilled this morning causing the IMMAF President to strip the competition of its IMMAF Hosting Rights at around 10 am (UTC+10). Presidents and coaches of participating national federations were informed, and all matches continuing today are doing so as part of a national event under the Host Federation.
This means that no points can be accrued by athletes or teams for the World Amateur MMA Rankings or for seeding in IMMAF World Championships, but athletes who perform will still have the opportunity to secure a place on their national team.
IMMAF President Kerrith Brown said:
“It is unfortunate that we have been compelled to make the decision to strip the Oceania Championships of its IMMAF Hosting Rights. Our medical and regulatory committees have worked tirelessly for solutions and we have given the organiser every opportunity we possibly could to fulfil IMMAF criteria. We appreciate the challenges of organising tournaments to IMMAF’s high regulatory standards and all the committed work of the Host Federation to bring the event to fruition. However, IMMAF cannot and will not compromise on its medical standards or any standards that pose an increased risk to athlete safety. We will continue to work with IMMAFA, and all our national federations, to support them in the development of infrastructure and processes that meet best practice and puts athlete wellbeing first.”
