Australian AC plans ban on extreme weight cutting following death

In 2017, Perth, Australia teen Jessica Lindsay, 18, an amateur with just two years experience, was cutting weight for a bout on November 11. Her Instagram chronicled the cut.

Fit and healthy, she wrote on November 1.
On November 8 she wrote, Yeah nah cutting weight is sick hey.”
On November 10 she collapsed while on a run to cut weight with her 14 year old sister Grace.
She was rushed to Fiona Stanley Hospital with a heart rate of 180 BPM.
She was admitted to intensive care, but there was nothing doctors could do to save her life.
Jessica Lindsay died of major organ failure on November 14.

Ms. Lindsay was at least the second Muay Thai athlete to die that year while weight cutting. Scottish pro Jordan Coe died in Thailand while trying to make weight.

The athlete’s mother, Sharron Lindsay, started a campaign to prohibit extreme weight cutting. Mrs. Lindsay is not trying to cripple combat sports, and describes Muay Thai as a beautiful sport. Rather, she is trying to save it from madness. Cutting is now the worst thing in combat sports. Weight divisions were designed for safety, but in an attempt at making sure fighters are of roughly equal weight, athletes are subject to a far greater danger than fighting a larger opponent.

Jessica’s gym, Kao Sok, echoed the calls for State Government action. And now Western Australia’s combat sports authority, the WA Combat Sports Commission, has released a draft strategy clean up weight cutting.

Liam Croy has the story for Perth Now

The commission reached out to the industry for consultation and examined the ways other government agencies and promotions handle weight cutting.

Under the new strategy, the use of sweat suits, saunas and other artificial means to dehydrate would be banned for athletes registered with the commission. Any trainer or promoter registered with the commission would be sanctioned if they were found to be encouraging those methods, which are used by fighters all over the world. It is understood the ban would apply only to people registered with the commission, meaning international athletes could be exempt.

If a medical practitioner judged a fighter to be showing signs of significant dehydration, they would administer a urine-specific gravity test. The clinician could pull the fighter from the event at their discretion.

Mrs. Lindsay said other athletic commissions around Australia had been waiting to see what changes WA would propose. She was pleased the commission had taken a stand, particularly on sweat suits and saunas. But while they had laid a solid foundation, the proposals did not go far enough and she looked forward to working with the commission on more changes – she believes the pre-fight urine test for dehydration should be mandatory for every athlete.

I’m just frustrated that extra step hasn’t been taken, said Mrs. Lindsay.

The strategy is open for public comment until January 31.

In mixed martial arts, the dire issue is being addressed. Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission has put together a 10 Point Plan to fix the issue. It works. The ABC medical committee supports it. The ABC has adopted it. The UFC supports it and will continue to adopt further parts of it.

It is now incumbent on commissions to implement it.

As for amateurs, weight cutting should cease. That will likely have to come not down from the top, but up from the gyms.