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Message from the Commission Chair

As I welcome you to the 2023/24 Combat Sports Commission Annual Report,  I’m happy to declare and celebrate another year of positive activity for our industry.

Firstly, I’m delighted to have had my tenure as Chair extended for another two years. I’m thankful for being able to chair a Commission comprised of committed people working with an industry of equally passionate people.

I’d also like to congratulate Dr Brian Galton-Fenzi, Karim Girgis and Renée Felton on the extension of their terms and for the valuable work they continue to do.

The Commission has welcomed Senior Sergeant Wayne Hendrie as our new Western Australia Police Force representative. Wayne brings with him more than 20 years on the force and  experience in a variety of areas which will benefit the Commission, including legislation and guideline development.

We also welcomed new commissioner Matt Wynne who has been a competitor, coach and official across a lifetime of combat sports involvement. His expertise in officiating will be invaluable to the Commission.

Thank you to Milan Bevik and Inspector Troy Cooper for the diligent work. They both provided personal and professional commitment during their terms of office, which concluded during the last reporting year.

The legislative review into the Combat Sports Act 1987 remains ongoing. Thank you to everyone who is working on this significant piece of work for the industry. It’s a big job, requiring a lot of meticulous attention, but we’re making strides in providing the Minister and the industry with a legislative framework that should endure well into the future.

I’d like to flag a congratulatory note from the Office of the Auditor General in recognition of the Combat Sports Commission as being one of the best practice entities for timeliness and quality of financial reporting and controls in last year’s Auditor General’s annual report.

Alongside the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the Commission tabled a joint submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiring into concussion and repeated head trauma in contact sports. The Committee received 92 submissions and conducted four public hearings across Australia. They released a report in September 2023. It’s both an exciting and a strong strategic and leadership move to have the Commission engaging increasingly on a national level and contributing to the debate on an issue which affects our whole industry.

The George Kambosos v Vasiliy Lomachenko: Warriors of the Ring match for the IBF lightweight world title in May was a significant event. Enabled by Tourism WA and held in front of a sold-out crowd  at RAC Arena, it was a great opportunity to see an international bout locally and to showcase Western Australia to the world.

The increase in the staging of these worldclass events is great for WA and offers unique opportunities for the Commission and staff to gain valuable international experience on home territory.

We’ve had four of these high calibre events in the last few years compared to just one in the previous 30 years. 

Three international titled boxing events in WA had the Commission working with three different sanctioning bodies for the first time – IBF, WBC and WBA. The Commission handled all the medicals which needed to be done in Australia.

Once again, providing excellent experience for the Commissioners, staff and local industry members.

My sincere thanks to the Minister for Sport and Recreation, the Hon. David Templeman MLA, chief of staff Tarnya Widdicombe and the Ministerial and Parliamentary staff for their support of the Commission and its mission over the last 12 months.

My thanks to Executive Officer Antoni Grover and his team for their smooth and efficient running of the Commission’s day-to-day. They continue to be enthusiastic and focussed on the work we do and are passionate in continuing to make WA the safest and most community-minded combat sports industry in the country. You can find more details in the Highlights on pages 13-16.

Speaking of our community and industry, I’d like to acknowledge everyone involved in the combat sports industry over the past year. Whether you’ve driven a young, nervous competitor to their first bout, stood in as a second, coached someone or taken a chance and put on an event, every one of you has contributed to our industry. We’re here because you are. We turn up because you do. We look forward to doing it for another year.

Hon. Bob Kucera APM JP
Commission Chair