Adopted by the 35th World Medical Assembly,
Venice, Italy, October 1983
and editorially revised at the 170th Council Session, Divonne-les-Bains,
France, May 2005
Boxing is a dangerous sport. Unlike most other sports, its basic
intent is to produce bodily harm in the opponent. Boxing can result
in death and produces an alarming incidence of chronic brain injury.
For this reason, the World Medical Association recommends that boxing
be banned.
Until that goal is achieved, the following recommendations should
be implemented:
- National Medical Associations (NMAs) should encourage the
establishment of a national registry of boxers for all amateur
and professional boxers, including "sparring mates",
in their country. The proposed functions of the registry would
be to record the results of all licensed bouts, including technical
knockouts, knockouts, and other boxing injuries, and to compile
injury and win/lose records for individual boxers.
- NMAs should consider whether to plan and conduct conferences
with interested members of the medical profession, medical representatives
of various government boxing commissions, and representatives
of organized professional and amateur boxing organizations to
review criteria for the neurological and physical examination
of boxers, to determine other comprehensive medical measures
necessary for the prevention of brain injury in the sport, and
to develop specific criteria for the discontinuance of a bout
for medical reasons.
- All boxing jurisdictions should ensure that the ring physician
should be authorized to stop any bout in progress, at any time,
to examine a contestant and, when indicated, to terminate a
bout that might, in his/her opinion, result in serious injury
for either contestant.
- Boxing jurisdictions should conduct frequent medical training
seminars for all ring personnel.
- All boxing jurisdictions should ensure that no amateur or
professional boxing bout is permitted unless:
- the contest is held in an area where adequate neurosurgical
facilities are immediately available for skilled emergency
treatment of an injured boxer;
- a portable resuscitator with oxygen equipment and appropriate
endotracheal tubes are available at ringside; and
- a comprehensive evacuation plan for the removal of any
seriously injured boxer to hospital facilities is ready.
- Boxing jurisdictions should be informed that unsupervised
boxing competition between unlicensed boxers is a most dangerous
practice that may result in serious injury or death to contestants,
and should be condemned.
- All boxing jurisdictions should be urged to mandate the use
of safety equipment such as plastic safety mats and padded cornerposts
and to encourage continued development of safety equipment.
- All boxing jurisdictions should be urged to extend all safety
measures to sparring partners.
- All boxing jurisdictions should be urged to upgrade, standardize,
and strictly enforce medical evaluations for boxers.
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