8 years after Tim Hague's death, Alberta failing on combat sport reform, experts say 

Eight years aft a deadly boxing lucifer successful Edmonton triggered calls for the state to modulate combat sports, Alberta authorities officials accidental they request much clip to see the changes. 

An enquiry into the 2017 decease of combatant Tim Hague called for sweeping changes to however combat sports are governed successful Alberta, including a cardinal proposal that a azygous provincial committee beryllium established to oversee each match.

Currently, municipalities are near to modulate combat sports.

Despite the request for betterment highlighted by Hague's decease — and much recently the 2024 decease of Trokon Dousuah during an amateur MMA combat adjacent Edmonton — the state has yet to instrumentality definitive action. 

Some of the changes projected successful the Hague enquiry recommendations have been rejected outright. Others, including the telephone for a provincial commission, stay nether consideration.

Critics reason that Alberta's inaction is irresponsible and that Alberta's existent strategy fails to support fighters from the dangers they look successful the ringing oregon cage.

'Dragging their heels'

Erik Magraken, a combat sports regulatory lawyer successful B.C., said Hague's bequest should beryllium the impetus for change, but the state continues to take "the way of neglect," helium said. 

Dousuah's decease demonstrates that further delays are dangerous, helium said.

"Alberta seems to beryllium dragging their heels," helium said. 

"Tim Hague died 8 years ago. Alberta has had a agelong clip to respond." 

Dr. Randolph Knipping, a certified ringside doc and erstwhile Ontario coroner, said Hague's decease underscores the urgent request for reform. 

Alberta is the lone state without provincial oversight for combat sports and combatant information should not beryllium connected geography, Knipping said. 

"If you trust connected the municipalities, it's going to beryllium a patchwork quilt." 

A fatal uppercut 

Hague, 34, suffered a encephalon hemorrhage connected June 16, 2017, aft suffering a knockout during a boxing lucifer licensed by the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission.

A near uppercut successful the 2nd circular enactment Hague connected the canvas. He walked from the ringing but lapsed into a coma and was taken disconnected beingness enactment 2 days later.  

He suffered a encephalon bleed and subdural hematoma. His encephalon besides showed signs of traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative illness caused by repetitive caput trauma.

Hague, who took the combat connected abbreviated notice, had a past of knockouts and concussions. His astir caller aesculapian suspension had expired days earlier his fight.

His household filed a wrongful decease suit successful 2019 seeking much than $5 cardinal successful damages for alleged gross negligence causing death.

The household and their lawyer, Ari Schacter of Assiff Law, declined to remark connected the presumption of the lawsuit. 

The calls for provincial oversight and tougher information rules that followed Hague's decease grew louder past twelvemonth pursuing the Nov. 25, 2024, decease of Dousuah successful an amateur foundation lucifer westbound of Edmonton.  

Dousuah, a 34-year-old novice fighter, fought 3 rounds but was carried retired of the ring, aboriginal dying successful hospital.

Following that fatal bout, erstwhile sports curate Joseph Schow said Alberta would undertake a reappraisal of combat athletics information and research the anticipation of provincial regulation.

Consultations began past year, but determination is nary timeline for the review's completion. 

'Neither accepts nor rejects'

In her 2024 enquiry study into Hague's death, Justice Carrie Sharpe said the state should grip sanctioning of combat sports successful Alberta.

In its ceremonial effect to the inquiry, the sports ministry said it "neither accepts nor rejects" this recommendation. The ministry is "considering" a committee but requires clip to prosecute with stakeholders to place however the state could beryllium progressive successful overseeing the sport.

Andrew Boitchenko, Alberta's caller sports minister, declined a petition for an interview. A ministry spokesperson told CBC News that a connection issued by Schow successful March — asserting Alberta's committedness to jock information — "still stands."

In that statement, Schow said however the enquiry recommendations are implemented depends connected the aboriginal relation of the state successful regulating combat sport.

Recommendations rejected

Of the 14 recommendations, 4 were rejected outright by the province. 

Among them, a proposal that a government-run database beryllium established to way each athlete's records.  In correspondence with the inquiry, ministry officials said specified a database would beryllium "duplicative" and of "limited utility." 

The state besides rejected a proposal that concussion spotters beryllium contiguous astatine each lawsuit and that they beryllium fixed the authorization to halt a fight.

The ministry said it was an unnecessary measure, telling the enquiry that ringside physicians are amended equipped to admit the signs of a concussion.

The state besides rejected a proposal that each fighters acquisition CT scans each six months, careless of their injury. 

The state said mandating specified scans would exposure competitors to unnecessary radiation. The "matter requires further analysis" to find whether different diagnostic tools could beryllium utilized instead, the ministry said. 

Eight different measures were "accepted successful principle" by the province, including accordant suspension periods for each combat sports and mandatory yearly grooming for referees connected however to admit caput trauma. 

City response 

The City of Edmonton accepted six of the inquiry's recommendations and partially implemented reforms, adjacent earlier the enquiry findings were published. 

These see mandatory suspensions for fighters who endure knockouts and required aesculapian suspensions betwixt each bouts.

The city, however, rejected 2 recommendations related to mandatory CT and MRI scans aft knockouts. 

The Edmonton Combative Sports Commission declined interrogation requests, but said it remains committed to improving combatant information and supports calls for the constitution of a provincial sanctioning body.

While Knipping agreed with galore of the inquiry's suggestions — specified arsenic mandatory post-fight suspensions, yearly referee training, and wide documentation of injuries — helium besides criticized others arsenic "key errors."

He opposed the telephone for regular CT scans, mandatory imaging aft knockouts and a centralized registry, arguing alternatively for broader diagnostic assessments and a combatant "passport" strategy to way injuries.

Still, helium said the state indispensable proceed with a committee to adjacent regulatory gaps.

There is danger, helium said, successful allowing information to beryllium determined locally alternatively than nether a unified provincial regulatory body. 

"It's unfortunate that it takes a fatality to make the attraction that this deserves," Knipping said.

"Cut and paste what works successful different jurisdictions. Use what's already there.

"Don't hold for different fatality."