Boxing fights for legal status in Norway
NTB/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 21 Oct, 2014 CET.
Updated: Tue 21 Oct 2014 15:51 CET
Norway could lift its ban on professional boxing as early as the turn of the New Year, the government announced on Tuesday.
The Norwegian parliament is close to agreement to allow the sport to be reinstated as a legal sport in Norway.
Family and Cultural Affairs spokeswoman Rigmor Aasrud said to NTB: "The proposition is now with the committee and there will be a hearing about the move on November 18th. All stakeholders who have an interest in the case may take part in the hearing." Aasrud went on to say that the first hearing of the case in parliament will most probably occur just before Christmas. After that a near-final adjudication will move closer to its final decision some time after the New Year. Everything seems to be in place for a new law allowing professional boxing in Norway. Women's boxing champion, Cecilia Brækhus, and other Norwegian professional boxers will be able to once again ply their sport on Norwegian soil. The law in effect now forbids professional boxing and was passed in 1981. The law came at a time when Norwegian boxer Steffen Tangstad was on the starting an international carrier that in 1986 earned him a World Championship heavyweight bout against Michael Spinks. Tangstad lost that match in the fourth round. Last week the Norwegian government ruled to the change gambling law and it is now legal to hold professional poker matches in Norway. Minister of Culture, Thorhild Widvey, said to NTB: “The Norwegian Poker Championship has been arranged abroad. In future, this championship can be held in Norway.”
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The Norwegian parliament is close to agreement to allow the sport to be reinstated as a legal sport in Norway.
Family and Cultural Affairs spokeswoman Rigmor Aasrud said to NTB: "The proposition is now with the committee and there will be a hearing about the move on November 18th. All stakeholders who have an interest in the case may take part in the hearing."
Aasrud went on to say that the first hearing of the case in parliament will most probably occur just before Christmas. After that a near-final adjudication will move closer to its final decision some time after the New Year.
Everything seems to be in place for a new law allowing professional boxing in Norway. Women's boxing champion, Cecilia Brækhus, and other Norwegian professional boxers will be able to once again ply their sport on Norwegian soil.
The law in effect now forbids professional boxing and was passed in 1981.
The law came at a time when Norwegian boxer Steffen Tangstad was on the starting an international carrier that in 1986 earned him a World Championship heavyweight bout against Michael Spinks. Tangstad lost that match in the fourth round.
Last week the Norwegian government ruled to the change gambling law and it is now legal to hold professional poker matches in Norway.
Minister of Culture, Thorhild Widvey, said to NTB: “The Norwegian Poker Championship has been arranged abroad. In future, this championship can be held in Norway.”
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