Virginia Code 54.1-829: Authorization from Director required; bond; physical examination; emergency medical services vehicles; physician; and health insurance
A. No person shall act as a promoter, matchmaker, trainer, boxer, martial artist, or professional wrestler in the Commonwealth without first having obtained authorization for such activity from the Department or sanctioning organization approved by the Director pursuant to § 54.1-829.1 and such authorization remains in full force and effect.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 54.1-829
- Boxer: means a person competing in the sport of boxing. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Department: means the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation or its successor. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Director: means the Director of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Event: means any boxing, martial arts, or professional wrestling show that includes one or more bouts, contests, or matches. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Virginia Code 1-257
- Martial artist: means a person competing in the sport of martial arts. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Matchmaker: means any person who proposes, selects, arranges for, or in any manner procures specific individuals to be contestants in an event. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Person: means a natural person, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, firm, enterprise, franchise, association or any other entity. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Professional: means a person who participates or has ever participated for money, compensation, or reward other than a suitably inscribed memento in any boxing, martial arts, or professional wrestling event. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Professional wrestler: means any professional participating in professional wrestling. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Promoter: means any person who undertakes to promote an event or exhibition. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Sanctioning organization: means an entity approved by the Director pursuant to § Virginia Code 54.1-828
- Wrestler: means any person competing or participating as an opponent in wrestling. See Virginia Code 54.1-828
B. No authorization to act as a promoter shall be granted unless the applicant executes and files with the Department a bond, in such penalty as the Department shall determine through regulation, conditioned on the payment of the fees and penalties imposed by this chapter and for the fulfillment of contracts made with professional contestants in accordance with Department regulations. This subsection shall not apply to a promoter applying to conduct an amateur-only event under the authority of a sanctioning organization approved by the Director pursuant to § 54.1-829.1.
C. Each boxer and martial artist shall, and each professional wrestler may, be examined prior to entering the ring by a physician who has been licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth for at least five years. The physician shall be appointed by the Department or sanctioning organization and shall certify in writing that the contestant’s physical condition is such that he is physically able to engage in the contest.
D. No event in which boxers or martial artists are contestants shall be conducted without the continuous presence at ringside of a physician who has been licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth for at least five years, and unless an emergency medical services vehicle is at the site of the event.
E. No boxer or martial artist shall participate in any event unless covered by a health insurance policy with minimum coverage in an amount determined by Department regulation.
1998, c. 895; 2007, c. 853; 2015, cc. 216, 264, 502, 503; 2016, c. 756.