News updates: Boxing, wrestling, and martial arts

Legislature looks at regulating amateur boxing, wrestling, and martial arts

If passed by the legislature, House Bill 2301 will:

• Modify exemptions regarding amateurs and amateur events.
• Require licensing of training facilities, amateur sanctioning organizations, and amateur martial arts participants by the Department of Licensing.
• Extend the scope of regulation in boxing, wrestling and martial arts from professional to include amateurs.

Ad Hoc Committee meetings

The Ad Hoc Committee is working to revise the laws and rules governing boxing, wrestling, and martial arts; and implement Senate Bill 6126 that requires the program to collect enough revenue to cover program administrative costs. For details about the committee’s meeting schedule and rulemaking activity, see Rulemaking activity.

Recommendations made for professional athletics

Between August 13 and October 1, 2011, we invited industry stakeholders to a series of meetings to discuss how we can best meet the requirements of a new law that requires the professional athletics program to become self supporting.

As a result of these meetings, the industry and our staff proposed recommendations for further research and study. Some proposals can be enacted immediately, while others will require law changes during the 2011 legislative session. For details, see Professional Athletics: A Plan for a Self-Supporting Program.