picture credit: shotbyjoey
In February it was first reported that some BJJ tournaments were post poned and canceled after Canada started applying Section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code. As we reported:
This Friday at 6:00 PM, an official complaint was launched to the SPVM. The SPVM, acting on an internal legal memo that included Jiu-Jitsu as a combat sport, i.e. having strikes (“an encounter or fight with fists, hands or feet”), according to section 83 of the Canadian Criminal Code, informed the Abu Dhabi Pro Jiu-Jitsu committee that they would proceed to enforce the section to arrest any participant in the tournament. Furthermore, they informed the committee that the Municipal Prosecutor of Montreal intended to prosecute every such case to court. It should be noted that the commander of the SPVM in charge of the complaint did not know that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) was different from “Jiu-Jitsu” and did not have any strikes in its matches.
However over the weekend NextGen Brazillian Jiu Jitsu hosted an amateur BJJ contest despite the Province saying such events are illegal.
Interestingly Police was present at the event but did not arrest anyone.
According to combat sports law:
The Province, apparently not too pleased with this show of defiance, has now doubled down sending a letter to all “Professional Combative Sports Stakeholders” threatening those that participate in “illegal” events.
