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Chechen leader criticised over televised children's MMA fights Chechen leader criticised over televised children's MMA fights
(about 17 hours later)
The Moscow-backed leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been criticised after his sons took part in televised mixed martial arts (MMA) fights involving children as young as eight. Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Russian republic of Chechnya, has been criticised for putting his three young sons into the ring to fight in a mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament on the eve of his birthday.
One of Kadyrov’s sons, 10-year-old Akhmad, beat another boy by a technical knockout in a cage during a so-called exhibition bout on a nationally televised fight card on Tuesday, while his younger brothers Eli and Adam also won their fights as a crowd of adults cheered them on. Kadyrov’s son Akhmad, 10, knocked out another boy on Tuesday in front of his father and a packed arena in Chechnya to win the “youth division” of the Grand Prix Akhmat 2016 international tournament.
The children walked into the ring with background music, were announced in the same way as pro fighters and were rewarded with belts when they won, with their father looking on. The TV broadcast from the Chechen capital, Grozny, was chiefly focused on adult bouts but featured professional commentary and graphics introducing the child fighters. Eli Kadyrov, nine, and Adam Kadyrov, eight, also won their bouts, the latter trading blows and grappling with his opponent before throwing him to the ground.
On Wednesday, the day of his 40th birthday, Kadyrov began a new term as Chechnya’s leader. After the matches, which were broadcast by an MMA television channel, the brothers posed with huge gold title belts.
A leading Russian MMA professional, Fedor Emelianenko, called the fights “unacceptable” and dangerous in a statement on his Instagram page, and said the children risked permanent injury and psychological harm. “What happened at the tournament in Grozny is unacceptable and, moreover, cannot be justified,” said Emelianenko, who heads the Russian MMA Union. “There were little ones, eight years old, punching each other in front of happy adults. Is it really so important for you to organise a spectacle at the cost of children’s health?” Kadyrov gushed about the fights on Instagram, but Russia’s most famous fighter and MMA union head, Fedor Emelianenko, called them “inexcusable”, saying MMA rules did not allow children under 12 to compete. He also noted that the boys were not wearing helmets or protective vests, and said fights held according to adult rules could harm children physically and psychologically.
It was “incomprehensible” that state TV showed children’s fights, he added. “Children under 12 aren’t even allowed into the hall as spectators, but here kids who are eight years old were beating each other up in front of delighted adults. Is it really that important for everyone to organise a spectacle at the expense of children’s health?” Emelianenko wrote on his own Instagram.
Emelianenko said children under the age of 12 should not be allowed to take part in any MMA fights and that anyone under the age of 21 must wear a helmet and protective gear for safety reasons. The children in the televised bouts fought bare-headed. In at least one case, a child received a heavy blow to the head. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman told journalists that the “knockout of a child, especially on television, is a reason for the appropriate oversight agencies to get involved”. The sports ministry told the news agency Tass that it would open an inquiry into the fights.
Kadyrov posted videos of the fights to his own Instagram page along with congratulatory comments for his sons. A defeated 10-year-old opponent “showed real masculine character” Kadyrov wrote, adding: “I’m sure there are victorious fights ahead.” Several Chechen officials responded to Emelianenko with insults and accusations. Timur Dugazayev, Kadyrov’s representative in Europe and general director of the leader’s Akhmat MMA promotion, said: “Fedor should look at the situation from a man’s point of view.”
Kadyrov has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations during his rule of Chechnya, including murders and forced disappearances. MP Adam Delimkhanov, a relative of Kadyrov, said it was “strange to hear such words” from a fighter who “stole a win” after “losing shamefully and being harshly beaten” in his controversial June decision over Fábio Maldonado. Valid Edilov, director of the Akhmat fight club, accused Emelianenko of doping and argued that fighting was part of Chechen children’s upbringing.
He is a noted sports fan, overseeing a Russian premier league soccer team, and once challenged one of his ministers to a boxing match after criticising his work. Kadyrov was re-inaugurated as head of Chechnya on his 40th birthday on Wednesday after winning 98% of the vote in last month’s election. That same day, Russian state television broadcast the first episode of a show similar to Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, in which 16 people compete to become Kadyrov’s assistant. The contestants’ first task was to direct 3,000 Chechens in the stands of a football arena to hold up coloured placards and form the name of their team.
Kadyrov, who is a close ally of Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, won re-election as Chechnya’s leader last month with almost 98% of the vote, according to regional election authorities. He faces almost no organised political opposition.