The Australian Medical Association is calling for combat sports like boxing "to be banned at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games," over concerns the sports are causing "irreversible injury," according to Carter & Weber of ABC. Boxing and mixed martial arts fighting "feature skilled athletes, competing to the best of their ability -- but they also feature people trying their hardest to physically injure one another." A "new position statement from the AMA said it was now against any sport, martial art or activity where the aim is to inflict physical injury." It defined combat sports as "any sport, martial art or activity in which the primary objective of participants is to strike, kick, hit, grapple with, throw or punch one or more participants." The organization wants combat sports and martial arts "to be completely outlawed" for U18s and for boxing to be banned at the Olympics. As an emergency doctor, AMA VP Steve Parnis said that he had seen "too many injuries caused by combat sports like MMA." Parnis: "You see a range of injuries but the ones that concern us the most are the ones that affect the brain and the cervical spine." He said that the rise of MMA or cage fighting "was of particular concern." He said, "It's a step backwards, it's something you would expect from the 19th century." Four-time world boxing champion Danny Green said that the sport "gave a positive outlet to many young men who were looking for direction in life." He said that banning the sport would "only drive it underground, where it could be controlled by criminals," and said he was not against boxers being under 18 as long as bouts were "closely monitored and larger gloves were always used." Australian Olympic Committee spokesperson Mike Tancred said that he thought it was "unlikely the Olympics or Commonwealth Games would ever outlaw boxing, and that the AMA was unfairly targeting the sport" (ABC, 9/4).
