On Tuesday, October 18, the Ministry of Sports in the Russian Federation found that the promotion funded by Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov had violated regulations in place, though limited the punishment to a stern letter.
The meeting, which included members of the Ministry of Sports, Ministry of the Chechen Republic for Physical Culture and Sport, the Russian Union of Martial Arts and other stakeholders, was held to discuss the scandalous underage fights that took place on the World Fighting Championships of Akhmat (WFCA) promotion two weeks ago. At the October 4 show in Grozny, Chechnya, Kadyrov’s three sons (11-year-old Akhmad, 9-year-old Zelimkhan, and 8-year-old Adam) took part in MMA fights without any protective gear.
According to the Ministry of Sports, which released a press release with the result shortly following the meeting, the promotion violated the Russian MMA Union rules that mandate a child must be at least 12 years old before he/she can compete in MMA competitions. They are also required to wear protective gear until the age of 18. The Ministry also found that the event was absent from the list of planned athletic events in the Chechen Republic during 2016, which means it was an unlicensed show with no regulatory oversight.
As a result, Kadyrov’s promotion will be required to coordinate with the Ministry of Sports and other regulatory bodies to “prevent such irregularities in conduct.” The Ministry also plans to send a stern letter to the promotion detailing WFCA’s failure to comply with the legislation put in place by the Russian Federation. No further punishment was handed down.
“In this regard, we have prepared a letter: to stop such violations in the Chechen Republic to recommend to the Ministry of Sports of the Republic to coordinate with the Ministry of Sports of Russia and the federations accredited for sports competitions.”
It should be noted that Fedor Emelianenko was absent from the October 18 session, despite Russian MMA Union officials being present at the meeting.
In the aftermath of the Chechen strongman’s decision to host child MMA fights involving his three sons, Emelianenko spoke out against the illegal activity and was immediately faced with an avalanche of humiliating posts and intimidation from Chechen fighters associated to Kadyrov. A few days later, his 16-year-old daughter was attacked on her way to school in Moscow, which led many to assume that Kadyrov was involved in the attack. However, there is no actual evidence to link the strongman to the assault.