Why MMA remains far from Olympic status

The first ancient Olympic Games was held in 776 BC. It began with a single event, the stade, a 200-yard foot race. This was the only event for the first 13 Games. In the 18th Olympiad, in 708 BC, wrestling was added. In 648 BC mixed martial arts (Pankration) was added.

With various additions, the Olympics continued for over 1,000 years, until in 394 AD, when it was banned by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, as part of his campaign to impose Christianity in Rome. When the Olympics were reborn in Athens in 1896, Pankration was long gone.

However, the sport of mixed martial arts has seen a remarkable resurgence, while the Olympics is seeking to modernize. The fit would seem to be natural.

The IMMAF launched with a brilliant team in 2012, with the backing of the UFC. The WMMAA launched the same year, by Vadim Finkelstein, Russia’s most successful MMA promoter, with the back of president Vladimir Putin, and the heavyweight G.O.A.T. Fedor Emelianenko. Last year the two groups joined, and MMA in the Olympics seemed as certain as things get in the odd world of combat sports.

However, consideration by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has to follow membership in the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Full membership in GAISF requires 40 member federations recognized by their country’s government sports authority, or national Olympic committee; the MMAF-WMMAA has 35 member federations that meet that requirement, of 85. Thus a two-year observer status in the GAISF was applied for, but was rejected on February 4. “Sports” that were not rejected for observer status include competitive jump rope, dodgeball, foosball, footgolf, and match poker.

GAISF director Philippe Gueisbuhler declined to detail the reasoning behind the decision, but pledged to continue a constructive dialogue.

IMMAF chief executive Densign White, a brilliant manager and three-time Olympic Judoka, is baffled. And points out that the rejection means amateur MMA will stay unregulated and dangerous in numerous regions. That, in turn, can lead to prohibitions against professional MMA.

“The whole thing is anti-democratic,” said White. “It’s not transparent. They’re not accountable to anybody.

Josh Gross, writing for The Guardian, explains what’s gone wrong. In sum, it’s them, not us.

GAISF regulations require prospective sports to show they are not in conflict with member federations. None of the GAISF’s combat sports and martial arts federations (aikido, boxing, fencing, judo, ju-jitsu, karate, kendo, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Pankration, sambo, savate, sumo, taekwondo, wrestling, and wushu) have formally complained about MMA, but White says that there may have been negative murmurs behind the scenes. He also heard the concern expressed that MMA mght draw athletes away from other combat sports.

And White explained that uninformed critics with the GAISF said the elimination of ground and pound could clear the path to recognition. That nonsensical, because in the absence of elbows, there leverage available on the ground is such that power is a fraction of what’s available standing. And in the meantime, Taekwondo encourages spinning head kicks. Worse, in a Catch-22 moment, if the IMMAF agrees to remove GnP, then the resulting sport might in fact be a rival for other member sports.

There is a fear, I believe, that MMA is growing too quickly and I think they’re concerned about the commercial impact it’s going to have on them, White said. They may even be concerned that it may hinder their entry into the Olympic Games programme. Some of these sports have been waiting for years. Their perception may be that MMA has gotten too popular and there is a risk here that MMA gets recognized and jumps ahead of us to the Olympic Games.