IMMAF’s Ordinary General Assembly took place on Friday, November 17, at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Manama, Bahrain, during the week of the 2017 IMMAF World Championships.
Over 50 Representatives from the majority of IMMAF member nations came together for a morning of presentations followed by the afternoon General Assembly, beginning with activity reports and financial updates of the past 12 months and how outcomes will influence decisions moving forward.
Heading into the General Assembly, the most anticipated item on the agenda was the proposed merger between IMMAF and WMMAA. While preliminary talks between the two international bodies had taken place, IMMAF processes dictate that a democratic vote among members must take place in order to allow official negotiations for the 2019 mandate where the next Ordinary General Assembly will vote on the outcome.
Both organizations (IMMAF and WMMAA) have applied to the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) for recognition as the global governing body for the sport of MMA. Since GAISF will only recognize one governing body to represent any sport, the dual application is creating an obstacle to the recognition of MMA.
Following details outlined by IMMAF president Kerrith Brown, CEO Densign White and director August Wallen, IMMAF’s membership approved the commencement of negotiations.
Also on the voting agenda was the election of fresh IMMAF committees: the Financial Audit Committee, Arbitration Committee, Disciplinary Committee and Nomination Committee, each with three international members.
Also, a total of seven provisional IMMAF members were announced as being eligible for full membership. The General Assembly voted in approval of each being granted full recognition, including: Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cyprus, Colombia, Malaysia and Spain.
Nations now suspended until further notice include: Greece, Cameroon and Georgia – following unanimous votes by the membership.
