With the teams arriving today for the GAMMA European Championships 2021 in Kyiv, Ukraine, the leadership of the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) and local organisers took the opportunity to meet with the Ukrainian Government in a crucial milestone for the development of MMA in the country.
Constructive talks were held between Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sport and Olympic Champion fencer Vadym Markovych Gutsait, President of the Ukrainian Federation of MMA (UF-MMA) Volodymyr Teslia, GAMMA President Alexander Engelhardt, and GAMMA Vice President Carlo Di Blasi.
“In our meeting today we discussed with the Minister of Youth and Sport about the future of GAMMA and MMA in general,” said GAMMA President Engelhardt. “We agreed that in addition to the large and growing MMA fanbase in the Ukraine, the development of MMA as a recreational sport is also impressive here.”
The potential for organised grassroots MMA programmes in the country and methods to introduce mixed martial arts to the wider public were also discussed.
“Our local GAMMA member UF-MMA and local promoter WWFA have already shown the Ministry that MMA is the sport of the future,” Engelhardt continued. “We believe that GAMMA will have a solid base in the Ukraine and will bring very strong athletes to our future competitions.”
About The Championships
Running from 5-9 November, the GAMMA European Championships will feature some 120 athletes from approximately 15 countries at the Palace of Sports. Some of the continent’s best young amateur athletes will compete in MMA and Striking MMA disciplines.
As athletes from across Europe began arriving today for registration, weigh-ins and random hydration tests were also conducted. The competition draw will be held Saturday along with anti-doping and other seminars for the athletes, judges and referees.
The official opening ceremony is set for Sunday, to be followed by the first day of competition. All the action will be streamed live on GAMMA’s Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as the official Oktagon MMA Facebook page.
