Who new? Norway is the only country in Europe in which there is a ban on professional boxing (North Korea and Cuba the only others in the world). I was unaware of this until I recently read an article about Evander Holyfield´s surprise and subsequent decision to not visit Norway because he `plays by the rules.´ It is primarily the red-green coalition government that supports the ban, while the Progress Party, Conservative Party, and Christian Democratic Party oppose it.
Those who support the ban believe that boxing at a professional level poses significant medical risks. Labor Party member Gunn Karin Gjul noted reports that state that between 2000 and 2006, 80% of the 65 boxing related deaths were professional boxers. The risk at this tier of boxing is much greater primarily because the skill level of professionals surpasses that of amateurs and when the skill involves blows to the head, there is more risk for for injury and death.
The opponents of the ban argue that although the head is a major target for boxers, adult athletes who accept this risk should not be forbidden to participate in this sport. Øyvind Håbrekke, a member of the Christian Democratic Party told VG (a Norwegian newspaper) that while “there is no doubt that there are health-related risks connected with professional boxing” and that it “has sides that we do not exactly want to encourage,” he does not believe that politicians “can forbid grown people from exposing themselves to risks that do not affect third parties.” Board Member of the Norwegian Boxing Federation Frank Robert Walstad tells The Foreigner “you don’t get smarter by receiving repeated blows to the head”, but argues some other types of sports are more dangerous, such as scuba diving, mountain climbing, and motor sports.
Would you believe that the ban has been in place since 1981?! A member of the Norwegian Olympic Committee approached the European Amateur Association chairman and demanded that professional boxing be banned or else amateur boxing would be discontinued as well. A majority vote of 54-24 in the lower house of Parliament (Odelsting), Norway followed Sweden in the Nordic Council’s request in 1969 that the Nordic countries ban professional boxing. At that time the reason was the same-that professional boxing lacked the same safety requirements that amateur boxing had. The argument is the same today by the Red-Green Coalition.
The ban on professional boxing in Norway means that Norwegian professional boxers must travel abroad to fight. Denmark is the closest country for Norwegians to visit and participate in fights. No wonder there are only 8 professional boxers in Norway!
