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REGINA -- Mixed martial arts events will soon be legal in Saskatchewan, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship says thats good for athletes. The government is setting up an athletics commission that will have the authority to sanction professional combative sports, including MMA. "A provincial athletics commission will help ensure the safety of everyone involved in professional combative sport competitions," Saskatchewan Sport Minister Kevin Doherty said Wednesday. The move comes after the House of Commons passed a bill in June legalizing contact sports such as MMA. The legislation makes professional boxing and MMA contests legal in Canada when they have the authorization of a provincial athletics commission. Only boxing was allowed under the old prize-fighting law, leaving combat sports, including taekwondo, karate and MMA in legal limbo. Tom Wright, director of UFC operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, says it means athletes wont have to move for their sport. Wright points out that MMA fighter Mitch Clarke is from Saskatchewan, but trains in Edmonton because he couldnt compete professionally in his home province. Wright also says having legal fights makes it safer for athletes. "Thats the cornerstone of protecting the health and safety of our athletes is to make sure that the sport is properly regulated. Now that an athletic commission is going to be set up in Saskatchewan, that will be the case for all organizations that want to hold a mixed martial arts competition," Wright said in a phone interview from Vancouver. "Particularly for ourselves, it paves the way for us to be able to bring the UFC to Saskatchewan." Wright says there is no timeline yet on when that might happen. Steps are underway to have the commission in Saskatchewan running by next summer. The commission will be responsible for tracking competitors fighting history and ensure safety protocols are enforced. The Saskatchewan Martial Arts Association will sanction and oversee amateur combative sports including mixed martial arts, kickboxing, modified Muay Thai and full-contact karate. The association said in a news release that it will immediately start sanctioning amateur combative sporting events. "By regulating amateur competitions, we help eliminate unsanctioned fights that put athletes at risk," said association president Tim Oehler. MMA is currently sanctioned at a provincial level in British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, while it has been sanctioned on a municipal level within Alberta, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories. The UFC has held 14 shows to date in Canada, with cards in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Wright has said the UFC will hold a show in Halifax within the next couple of years.Derrick Walton Jersey . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. JaMychal Green Jersey . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. https://www.cheapclippersonline.com/1220h-jamychal-green-jersey-2-clippers.html . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Michael Brooks Jersey . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Terance Mann Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August.CARDIFF, Wales -- The Football Association of Wales has rejected an approach for national team coach Chris Coleman by Premier League club Hull.Hull is looking for a new manager after Steve Bruce resigned last month, three weeks before the start of the Premier League season.The FAW says Hulls approach for Coleman was turned down following discussions amongst leading figures within the association, pointing to the two-year contract he signed inn May.ddddddddddddColeman led Wales to the semifinals of the European Championship in the countrys first major tournament since 1958.Sections of the British media have linked former Italy forward Gianfranco Zola and former Everton manager Roberto Martinez with the vacancy at Hull. The Premier League begins Aug. 13. ' ' '