Overview

In order to hold a legal professional combative sport contest or exhibition, all event participants must be licensed.

Licences are issued by the Commissioner of the Ontario Athletics Commission.

Who needs a licence

  • promoter (person who promotes, conducts or holds the event)
  • contestants
  • service providers, including:
    • official
    • manager
    • matchmaker
    • second

Licence expiry

Contestant licences expire one year from the date of issue.

Promoter, matchmaker, manager, second and official licences expire on December 31 each year.

Apply for a licence

Fill out and submit the application form and pay the required licence fee (if applicable).

Forms and required documents

As part of your licence application, you must submit an application form and the following required documents.

Promoter

  • Licence application form
  • Credit report or other information as indicated in the “General” regulation
  • Criminal record and judicial matters check or other information as indicated in the “General” regulation

Contestant

  • $50 licence fee
  • Licence application form (one sport per licence)
  • One of the following:
    • applicant’s record in all professional combative sport bouts
    • an overview of amateur experience
    • an assessment of technical competence to compete professionally
  • Attestation of review of concussion awareness resources and anti-doping educational resources
  • Attestation acknowledging the contestant is subject to the Commissioner’s Anti-Doping policy
  • Medical reports:
    • physician’s exam
    • heart evaluation (ECG)
    • brain evaluation (MRI or CAT scan)
    • eye exam
    • blood work (HIV, HCV, surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus and syphilis virus)

You may need to provide additional medical reports if any of the following apply to you:

  • aged 40 years old or older
  • have pre-existing brain pathology
  • deemed a high-risk contestant by the Commissioner

Official

  • Licence application form
  • Evidence of experience (for example, officiating history, proof of course completion, etc.)
  • Attestation acknowledging the official will comply with the code of conduct
  • Attestation of review of concussion awareness resources
  • Eye exam (judges and referees only)
  • Physician’s report confirming medical fitness (referees only)

Manager

  • $75 licence fee
  • Licence application form
  • Criminal record and judicial matters check or other information as indicated in the “General” regulation
  • Copies of contracts with contestants

Matchmaker

  • $50 licence fee
  • Licence application form (one sport per licence)
  • Criminal record and judicial matters check or other information as indicated in the “General” regulation

Second

Licence appeals

If the Commissioner refuses, suspends or cancels a licence, you are entitled to a hearing by the Licence Appeals Tribunal — General Service.