By Press Release

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Anti-doping Disciplinary Committee is now up and running as part of a bolstered anti-doping structure.

The new Disciplinary Committee, chaired by UK based barrister Max Shephard, will manage and resolve any asserted Anti-Doping Rule Violation or other dispute arising from the implementation of those rules, policies and procedures arising from the Results Management Process as described in the IMMAF Anti-Doping Rules, with right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Setting up a separate committee was approved by the General Assembly of IMMAF following a recommendation of the Chair of the Anti-doping Committee, Michele Verroken (pictured).

Ms Verroken is recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts in anti-doping and sport law. She has been responsible for creating and managing appropriate anti-doping processes for IMMAF.

“Chairing IMMAF’s Anti-Doping Committee is a privilege as well as a challenge,” said Michele. “I want our programme to reach beyond the current anti-doping requirements to further the well-being of IMMAF members, athletes and their support personnel. We would welcome interest from like-minded people to assist our work.”

Like all international federations, IMMAF is firmly committed to the welfare of its athletes and to the promotion of integrity through the sport; the Anti-Doping Committee plays a critical role in monitoring establishing and delivering WADA Code standards and progress towards our objective of CLEAN MMA.

“It is essential to our mission that IMMAF becomes a signatory to the WADA Code, to demonstrate the preparedness of the sport to achieve fair and clean MMA,” said Michele. “Being able to work in a coordinated way with the support of other anti-doping colleagues will serve our athletes better, ensure we attract the right support personnel to our sport and safeguard the well-being of MMA. For those who aspire to professional MMA, we set the foundation for doing it right and for those who aim to participate as amateurs, they can compete and train with confidence that the sport is protecting their interests too.”

The Anti-doping Committee oversees IMMAF’s anti-doping policies and implementation across IMMAF competitions ensuring that IMMAF’s Anti-doping Policy is WADA compliant. The committee includes a panel of expert medical professionals who are highly experienced in the field of Anti-doping. As volunteers with different backgrounds and origins, each member has a wealth of unique experience and are all committed to making IMMAF an outstanding example of good governance and athlete-oriented sport development

IMMAF Anti-doping Committee 2019-2023:
Michele Verroken (GBR)
Dr. Jack Kreindler (GBR)
Prem Kumar (MAL)
Veronika Nalbatska (BUL)
Dr. David Wang (USA).