Yesterday started the European MMA Championship, which Ukraine for the first time will host the continental mixed martial arts championship. The grandiose celebration will take place in the Palace of Sports in the capital and will be a joint measure of the international federation GAMMA and the Ukrainian UF MMA. 120 athletes from 15 countries are expected to participate in competitions in 16 weight categories.
The organizers of competitions emphasize that the cooperation with the anti-doping agency is a significant step towards the recognition of MMA as an Olympic sport.
In particular, GAMMA will become the first international federation in the world to apply selective hydration testing to fighters at the European Championships. The system will help to combat heavy and potentially dangerous to health weight loss. The federation will also hold an anti-doping seminar for athletes and team representatives. A variety of topics will be discussed, including athletes' rights and responsibilities, the dangers of doping, the doping control process and the role of coaches and team officials in keeping the sport clean.
European Championships brought together the best young athletes from across the continent competing in the disciplines of MMA and Striking MMA. This year it takes place at the Palace of Sports and has a free entrance.
On the first day of the championship the representatives of the Ukrainian team Kirill Kolomiets, Anatoly Zhurakovsky, Roman Shehovtsov and Andrey Dunaev successfully made it to the finals.
