New South Wales Is Redrawing the Line on Combat Sports: What Martial Arts Schools Should Know
New South Wales is rewriting its combat-sports rules and, separately, asking what should count as a combat sport at all. Public comment on the draft Combat Sports Regulation 2026 closes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29, and a parliamentary inquiry into emerging combat sports takes submissions until October 9. A Supreme Court ruling this month shows why the definition matters to anyone who runs events with contact.
What is New South Wales changing?
The NSW Office of Sport opened consultation on September 1 on a draft Combat Sports Regulation 2026, which will replace the Combat Sports Regulation 2014. The regulation sits under the Combat Sports Act 2013 and prescribes the safety, medical and administrative requirements for regulated combat sports in the state. According to the government, the draft carries most existing provisions forward and is intended to “modernise the regulatory framework,” “remove outdated provisions” and “improve clarity and consistency.” The draft and a Regulatory Impact Statement are published with the consultation.
Under the existing Act, combatants, promoters and other industry participants in regulated combat sports must be registered, and regulated contests need permits from the Combat Sports Authority.
How to comment before 5 p.m. AEST, September 29: through the Office of Sport’s online survey linked from the NSW Government “Have your say” page, or by email to combatsportsreforms.submission@sport.nsw.gov.au.
What is the parliamentary inquiry looking at?
On August 26, 2026 the Legislative Council’s Social Issues Committee, chaired by Sarah Kaine, was given an inquiry into “emerging combat sports and comparable activities.” Announcing the referral on August 28, Sport Minister Steve Kamper named bare-knuckle boxing, power slap, collision sports and underground or backyard fight events. “We need to make sure our laws keep pace with the way collision and combat sports are evolving,” he said.
The committee will consider whether those activities should be regulated as combat sports, whether the Combat Sports Act 2013 is still fit for purpose, how other jurisdictions handle them, what reforms participant safety requires, and how underground events get around current law. Submissions close Friday, October 9, 2026. Hearing dates have not yet been published.
What did the Supreme Court decide about “run it straight”?
On September 10, Justice Andrew Coleman of the NSW Supreme Court upheld the Combat Sports Authority’s position that the Run Nation Championship, a “run it straight” event in which competitors run directly at each other and try to win the collision, was a combat sport. The organizer had argued otherwise. The Act defines a combat sport by whether the primary objective of each combatant is to strike, kick, hit, grapple with, throw or punch another; the court found that “the essence of the activity is the collision between them.” The event, scheduled for September 12 at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, was postponed.
The point for martial arts operators is not the sport itself. It is that the court looked at what the participants actually do, not at what the organizer called the event.
Why does this matter to a martial arts school?
Most schools will never promote a professional fight, and ordinary instruction is not what these rules are aimed at. The exposure comes at the edges: interclub kickboxing, MMA “smokers,” amateur fight nights, grappling or combat jiu-jitsu events with strikes, and new hybrid formats. Whether any of those is a regulated contest is a question of statutory definition, and calling it a “demonstration,” “interclub” or “exhibition” does not settle it.
This journal has seen the same pattern elsewhere. In Canada, Manitoba’s commission moved to license amateur jiu-jitsu (see Manitoba Licensed Amateur Jiu-Jitsu. Then Kept the Money), and in the U.S. the proposed expansion of the Ali Act is reopening questions about who governs MMA (see The Ali Act, the Asian Games and FIMMA). As new formats appear faster than statutes are rewritten, expect more regulators to revisit definitions.
What a school owner should do
Before running any event with meaningful competitive contact, find out which body regulates combat sports where you operate, and answer five questions:
- Does the statutory definition of a combat sport cover this activity?
- Is it treated as a contest, an exhibition or training?
- Does it need a promoter or event permit?
- Must officials, coaches or competitors be registered?
- Are there mandatory medical, insurance or concussion requirements?
Do not assume the answer because another school runs the same kind of event. And when a regulator asks for industry comment, as New South Wales is doing now, take part. The goal is regulation that separates instruction, training, amateur competition and prize fighting, with the right safety standard for each.
Frequently asked questions
When does the NSW Combat Sports Regulation 2026 consultation close?
At 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. Comments can be made through the Office of Sport’s online survey or by email.
What does the draft Combat Sports Regulation 2026 do?
It replaces the Combat Sports Regulation 2014 under the Combat Sports Act 2013. The NSW Government says it carries most existing provisions forward while modernising the framework, removing outdated provisions and improving clarity and consistency.
When do submissions to the NSW emerging combat sports inquiry close?
Friday, October 9, 2026. The inquiry is being run by the Legislative Council’s Social Issues Committee, which received the referral on August 26, 2026.
Which activities is the NSW inquiry examining?
The government named bare-knuckle boxing, power slap, collision sports and underground or backyard fight events, along with whether the Combat Sports Act 2013 remains fit for purpose.
Why does the Run Nation decision matter to martial arts businesses?
On September 10, 2026 the NSW Supreme Court held that a “run it straight” collision event was a combat sport because its essence was physical collision. Courts and regulators may look at what participants actually do, not the name given to the event.
Does NSW regulate ordinary martial arts classes?
The Combat Sports Act regulates combat-sport contests and the people involved in them. Whether a particular martial arts activity is covered depends on the statutory definitions and what the activity involves; operators running competitions should check with the Combat Sports Authority.
Sources
NSW Government, “Combat Sports Regulation 2026” consultation page (Office of Sport), including the draft regulation and Regulatory Impact Statement; NSW Government media release, “NSW Government refers emerging combat sports to parliamentary inquiry,” August 28, 2026; Parliament of New South Wales, inquiry details, “Emerging combat sports and comparable activities,” Social Issues Committee; press reports of Run Nation Championship v Combat Sports Authority of NSW, NSW Supreme Court, September 10, 2026. This article is general industry information, not legal advice.
