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Title [Centre News] ICM Insight (Vol.4) : Martial Arts Integrity

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    09-12-2020
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ICM’s yearly periodical ‘ICM Insight (Volume 4)’ has been published. ICM Insight shares various of martial arts contents under a theme that has high relevance to UNESCO. Published in both English and Korean, this year’s volume is about ‘Martial Arts Integrity,' and writers include Qantara Sports Partner Bruno Avelar Rosa, Clinical and Sport Psychologist Miguel Nery, Flemish Martial Arts Platform Coordinator Els Dom, Vrije University Brussel Professor Marc Theeboom, Social Scientist Paolo Bertaccini Bonoli, University of Sao Paulo Professor Emerson Franchini. Members from ICM's Advisory Group(Charles Sturt University Lecturer Brian Moore, Universidad de Leon Professor Carlos Gutierrez Garcia, University of Limerick Community Engagement Facilitator Eileen Hoffler, Sport Matters CEO Jackie Lauff) and World Vision Technical Specialist and UNESCO Youth and Sports Taskforce member Yeang Sethsamprthna as youth representative had joined in the process as editorial advisors. Below is editorial comment written by Professor Carlos Gutierrez Garcia. The whole content is available to view on ICM’s web-site.


Protecting the integrity of martial arts

Editorial Advisor, Carlos Gutiérrez-García

(Universidad de León, Spain)

 

On 15 July 2017, the UNESCO’s Sixth International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport adopted the Kazan Action Plan (KAP). This initiative, which is aimed at developing and evaluating convergent sport policies, and aligning them with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, defined three main areas: (I) Developing a comprehensive vision of inclusive access for all to sport, physical education and physical activity, (II) Maximizing the contributions of sport to sustainable development and peace, and (III) Protecting the integrity of sport. The International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement under the auspices of UNESCO (ICM), in its commitment to contribute to KAP, focused 2018 ICM Insight on the topic “Martial Arts for All”, while 2019 ICM Insight was centred on “Martial Arts in Action for a Sustainable World”. Today, it is our pleasure to introduce the next volume of this series, entitled “Martial Arts Integrity”.


According to the Cambridge Dictionary, integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”. Integrity is something that many martial artists know very well. Since the beginning in their training, they have been educated in respecting their partners, their teachers and the particular culture and values of their martial art school and style. They have learnt to collaborate and to strive sincerely and wholeheartedly, accepting both victory and defeat as a part of an endless process of self-development. Even, they have been encouraged to transfer these moral principles into their everyday life, which is probably the most important contribution martial arts can have for individuals and the society.


Without doubt, institutions and representatives related to martial arts, and to sport in general, must protect all these values and fight against injustice, abuse and corruption, which also exist in martial arts and sport realm. In developing main policy area III, Protecting the integrity of sport, the KAP defines five specific areas, four of which are represented in this volume. Dr. Bruno Avelar Rosa and Dr. Miguel Nery’s work, “Safeguarding children and youth in martial arts and combat: the need for wide and systematic policies and pedagogic approaches”, aligns with KAP specific area ‘Safeguard athletes, spectators, workers and other groups involved’. In this contribution, the authors highlight the necessity for martial arts organization to develop specific athletes safeguarding policies, from the international to the local levels, stating that, in this endeavor, martial arts are one step behind compared to other sports. Something to seriously reflect on.


Under the title “The governance of full contact martial arts: the case of Flanders… and the need for a transnational approach”, Flemish Martial Arts Platform manager Els Dom and Dr. Marc Theeboom offer an illustrative example on how a local government has developed a policy to support, in several ways, those involved in the organization of full contact martial arts. This experience may be of help for other governing bodies, as the situation of full contact martial arts in Flanders was very similar to that of many other regions and countries around the world. This contribution relates with KAP specific area ‘Foster good governance of sports organizations’.


In developing the KAP specific area ‘Strengthen measures against manipulation of sports competition’, social scientist Paolo Bertaccini Bonoli sets his eyes on match-fixing and illegal betting, which has been considered a major concern for sport integrity in the last decade. This form of corruption, far from being limited to most popular sports, can nowadays affect every sport discipline, including martial arts. This is especially true for the few martial arts that have a professional or quasi-professional dimension, some of them being frequently related to match-fixing and illegal betting.


Finally, our Zoom section focuses on KAP specific policy area ‘Protect children, youth and other vulnerable groups’, which is of special interest to ICM. In this contribution, Dr. Emerson Franchini provides very well-founded recommendations to provide youth-friendly martial arts training. I am sure that, after reading Dr. Franchini’s text, every reader will have a clear picture of how martial arts programs aimed at children and youths should be like.


We all, martial artists, teachers, trainers, stakeholders, must protect the integrity of martial arts. This is the only way they continue to be what they are now for many, this is, paths for personal and social improvement, real paths of life.