Ghanaian referee, Derrick Maccaire, has stated that the ambulance service is an absolute necessity for kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights in the country, to help curb fatalities.
He noted that there is availability of professional doctors at the various fighting venues, as well as ambulance service personnel who attend to athletes in case of injury.
The Executive Club member of the Ghana Kickboxing Federation noted that the various federations and associations have put in place viable measures to ensure injured athletes receive immediate medical attention when needed.
Speaking in an interview with Benjamin Sackey on Sports Check, Maccaire stated that the associations have a rule requiring promoters to have a doctor and an ambulance present at every event.
“With the associations, we have a rule in place that for every promoter, if you want to organise an event, there must be a doctor at the venue, and there must be an ambulance at the venue, so that we can ensure the fighters are in the good hands.
“After the recent incident in boxing, I wouldn’t want to remind us of certain things, but in Mixed Martial Arts, for instance, for any event we’ve had after the incident, we’ve been very specific to make sure there’s an ambulance and a trained doctor who can respond swiftly to any event. So, there hasn’t been any death that I’m aware of,” he said.
Maccaire further commended Ghanaian referees for their competencies and vigilance in preventing misfortune during fights.
“Mixed Martial Arts is a very tight combat sport, so if referees are not apt, there’ll be a problem. But frankly, the referees we have in Ghana are really on point. They make sure things go well. If the referee does their job well, the doctors won’t have much to do,” he added.
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Meanwhile, watch as Derrick Maccaire opens up on challenges in kickboxing, MMA in Ghana
