Two bare knuckle fighters in hospital after scrap at Scots ice rink
A bare-knuckle boxing event at the Murrayfield Ice Arena which left two fighters in hospital has led to the venue's licence being altered.
In July, the Carnage in the Capital event saw 30 fighters face off in one-on-one matchups in the sport's first professional event in Scotland.
The arena's bosses thought it fell within the terms of their indoor sports entertainment licence, which allows 'ice hockey, ice skating, roller skating, boxing, and similar'.
But Edinburgh council officers disagreed, saying that what they termed both as 'bare-knuckle fighting' and 'bare-knuckle boxing' was not similar to the sports listed in the licence.
And they took the rare step of writing a letter to the city's Licencing Sub-Committee, asking for the term 'and similar' be removed from the licence.
In a narrow four-three vote, councillors sided with officers, with the two Labour and two Conservative councillors voting to modify the licence.
At the event, at least two boxers were sent to hospital – one with a broken jaw – and fighters had a range of injuries, including an arm fracture and a torn ACL.
During Monday's meeting of the committee, Licensing manager Catherine Scanlin said: 'Concerns were raised ahead of this event, and this was raised with the organiser.
'The event did go ahead on the fifth of July, however it's the directorate's view that we want to avoid any ambiguity under what activities should be included in the licence.
'The inclusion of the words, 'and similar', which was used by the applicant to justify the operation of this event, we would ask that the 'and similar' is removed from the [licence].'
And Tom Veitch, Trading Standards manager, said: 'It was advertised as featuring 'blood spattering, bone shattering, blood spills, and carnage' in relation to this event.
'The concerns were such that both the council and the police considered the use of an immediate suspension.
'On this occasion, concerns were resolved, less than 24 hours before the event. There was, however, significant council officer and police officers required for it to go ahead.'
A police sergeant in the meeting said that Police Scotland had no contributions to make to the committee about the event.
Bare-knuckle boxing is legal in the UK, but has no official regulator. The event in July took place under the regulation of the International Sport Karate Association.
Caroline Loudon, a solicitor representing the ice arena, said: 'We're slightly surprised to get the notification to come to committee today.
'It's our position that there is no ambiguity here, and that it's not necessary to vary the terms of the licence at all.
'We don't feel that the application by the Directorate is necessary or proportionate in the circumstances of this case.'
Scott Neil, who is involved in the management of the arena, said that ice hockey alone could not sustain the site by itself year-round, causing it to look for events in the summer months.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
He said that he felt that the event was safe, and said the sport's supporters would say it is safer than gloved boxing for a range of reasons, including the limits on the length of fights.
Conservative councillor Cuthbert Neil said: 'I think I'm happy to go with the recommendation of the report.
'But just reflecting, and we've had quite a lengthy discussion about this, I think it has flagged up an issue that others have noticed as well.
'There is an ambiguity. So it does seem to me that that has to be resolved.
Liberal Democrat councillor Pauline Flannery advanced an alternative position, saying: 'I think boxing is similar.
'I don't think there is a difference, but it's what we want to do for the future that I'm hearing underneath. And I think that is a separate conversation.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
5 days ago
- The National
Two people in hospital after bare-knuckle boxing event in Edinburgh
The Carnage in the Capital event in July saw 30 fighters face off in one-on-one matchups in the sport's first professional event in Scotland. The arena's bosses thought it fell within the terms of its indoor sports entertainment licence, which allows 'ice hockey, ice skating, roller skating, boxing, and similar' activities. But Edinburgh council officers disagreed, saying that what they termed both as 'bare-knuckle fighting' and 'bare-knuckle boxing' was not similar to the sports listed in the licence. READ MORE: Council announces plans for 95 new homes in Highland village They took the rare step of writing a letter to the city's Licensing Sub-Committee, asking for the term 'and similar' to be removed from the licence. In a narrow 4-3 vote, councillors sided with officers, with the two Labour and two Conservative councillors voting to modify the licence. At the event, at least two boxers were sent to hospital – one with a broken jaw – and fighters had a range of injuries, including an arm fracture and a torn ACL. During Monday's meeting of the committee, licensing manager Catherine Scanlin said: 'Concerns were raised ahead of this event, and this was raised with the organiser. 'The event did go ahead on the fifth of July, however, it's the directorate's view that we want to avoid any ambiguity under what activities should be included in the licence. 'The inclusion of the words, 'and similar', which was used by the applicant to justify the operation of this event, we would ask that the 'and similar' be removed from the [licence].' And Tom Veitch, Trading Standards manager, said: 'It was advertised as featuring 'blood spattering, bone shattering, blood spills, and carnage' in relation to this event. 'The concerns were such that both the council and the police considered the use of an immediate suspension. 'On this occasion, concerns were resolved, less than 24 hours before the event. There was, however, significant council officers and police officers required for it to go ahead.' A police sergeant in the meeting said that Police Scotland had no contributions to make to the committee about the event. Bare-knuckle boxing is legal in the UK, but has no official regulator. The event in July took place under the regulation of the International Sport Karate Association. Caroline Loudon, a solicitor representing the ice arena, said: 'We're slightly surprised to get the notification to come to committee today. 'It's our position that there is no ambiguity here, and that it's not necessary to vary the terms of the licence at all. 'We don't feel that the application by the Directorate is necessary or proportionate in the circumstances of this case.' Scott Neil, who is involved in the management of the arena, said that ice hockey alone could not sustain the site by itself year-round, causing it to look for events in the summer months. He said that he felt that the event was safe, and said the sport's supporters would say it is safer than gloved boxing for a range of reasons, including the limits on the length of fights. Conservative councillor Cuthbert Neil said: 'I think I'm happy to go with the recommendation of the report. READ MORE: David Lammy told Foreign Office secondment scheme 'may be illegal' 'But just reflecting, and we've had quite a lengthy discussion about this, I think it has flagged up an issue that others have noticed as well. 'There is an ambiguity. So it does seem to me that that has to be resolved. Liberal Democrat councillor Pauline Flannery advanced an alternative position, saying: 'I think boxing is similar. 'I don't think there is a difference, but it's what we want to do for the future that I'm hearing underneath. And I think that is a separate conversation.'
STV News
5 days ago
- STV News
Two people taken to hospital after bare-knuckle boxing event at ice rink
A bare-knuckle boxing event at the Murrayfield Ice Arena, which left two fighters in hospital, has led to the venue's licence being altered. The Carnage in the Capital event in July saw 30 fighters face off in one-on-one matchups in the sport's first professional event in Scotland. The arena's bosses thought it fell within the terms of its indoor sports entertainment licence, which allows 'ice hockey, ice skating, roller skating, boxing, and similar' activities. But Edinburgh council officers disagreed, saying that what they termed both as 'bare-knuckle fighting' and 'bare-knuckle boxing' was not similar to the sports listed in the licence. They took the rare step of writing a letter to the city's Licensing Sub-Committee, asking for the term 'and similar' to be removed from the licence. In a narrow 4-3 vote, councillors sided with officers, with the two Labour and two Conservative councillors voting to modify the licence. At the event, at least two boxers were sent to hospital – one with a broken jaw – and fighters had a range of injuries, including an arm fracture and a torn ACL. During Monday's meeting of the committee, licensing manager Catherine Scanlin said: 'Concerns were raised ahead of this event, and this was raised with the organiser. 'The event did go ahead on the fifth of July, however, it's the directorate's view that we want to avoid any ambiguity under what activities should be included in the licence. 'The inclusion of the words, 'and similar', which was used by the applicant to justify the operation of this event, we would ask that the 'and similar' be removed from the [licence].' And Tom Veitch, Trading Standards manager, said: 'It was advertised as featuring 'blood spattering, bone shattering, blood spills, and carnage' in relation to this event. 'The concerns were such that both the council and the police considered the use of an immediate suspension. 'On this occasion, concerns were resolved, less than 24 hours before the event. There was, however, significant council officers and police officers required for it to go ahead.' A police sergeant in the meeting said that Police Scotland had no contributions to make to the committee about the event. Bare-knuckle boxing is legal in the UK, but has no official regulator. The event in July took place under the regulation of the International Sport Karate Association. Caroline Loudon, a solicitor representing the ice arena, said: 'We're slightly surprised to get the notification to come to committee today. 'It's our position that there is no ambiguity here, and that it's not necessary to vary the terms of the licence at all. 'We don't feel that the application by the Directorate is necessary or proportionate in the circumstances of this case.' Scott Neil, who is involved in the management of the arena, said that ice hockey alone could not sustain the site by itself year-round, causing it to look for events in the summer months. He said that he felt that the event was safe, and said the sport's supporters would say it is safer than gloved boxing for a range of reasons, including the limits on the length of fights. Conservative councillor Cuthbert Neil said: 'I think I'm happy to go with the recommendation of the report. 'But just reflecting, and we've had quite a lengthy discussion about this, I think it has flagged up an issue that others have noticed as well. 'There is an ambiguity. So it does seem to me that that has to be resolved. Liberal Democrat councillor Pauline Flannery advanced an alternative position, saying: 'I think boxing is similar. 'I don't think there is a difference, but it's what we want to do for the future that I'm hearing underneath. And I think that is a separate conversation.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
What political party do top football team fans support
Despite the historical strength of support for Labour in the city, the polling found Liverpool has the lowest share of supporters who say they intend to vote for Keir Starmer's party Liverpool has the lowest share of Labour voters out of the top football teams, while Manchester City has the highest proportion of Reform UK voters, polling shows. More in Common unveiled the findings this morning after carried out the polling of the Big Six teams, excluding Tottenham Hotspur. Despite the historical strength of support for Labour in the city, it found Liverpool has the lowest share of supporters - some 27% - who say they intend to vote for Keir Starmer's party. Chelsea supporters are the most likely to vote for the Conservatives at 27% of any of the Big Six clubs, but also the most likely to vote for the Labour Party at 34% - joint with Man City. It comes after England's Euro 2025 winners to lose a major chunk of prize money after return home. Across all the teams on average, Reform UK came on top with 29% planning to vote for the party. Of the fans of other clubs in the Premier League, Reform UK also came on top with over a third (34%) planning to vote for Nigel Farage's party. The party also came first in rankings among fans of lower league teams (33%) and among non-football fans (28%). Of the Big Six, Manchester City supporters (29%) are most likely to vote for Reform UK. But supporters of smaller clubs, even elsewhere in the Premier League, are far more likely to support Reform UK (34% versus 27% of Big Six supporters). The polling also looked into the spread of fan bases across the country. Manchester United remains the most supported team in Britain, despite their recent on-field challenges, and is even the most supported team among Londoners. Chelsea have the most local fanbase with 35% of their fans living in London, while less than a quarter of fans for the remaining clubs live in the same region as the club they support. Elsewhere polling of 18-40-year-old Britons has found that 38% of young Britons think racism in football is growing, while a further 36% say that the level of racism in football is not changing. Only a quarter (26%) think the problem of racism in football has improved. Chris Annous, Associate at More in Common, said: 'This research unpacks the surprising political leanings and geographical spread of football fans, revealing how loyalties often defy traditional narratives and expectations. "It provides crucial insights, demonstrating that fanbases, even among the 'Big Six' clubs, exhibit unexpected voting patterns, like Liverpool having the lowest share of Labour voters despite the city's strong Labour history. Fans and teams are often stereotyped, and these findings show that although supporters can be loyal to one football team, they can be much more varied and volatile when it comes to political support for a party.' Manchester United Some 31% of Man United fans intend to vote Labour at the next election, while 24% are leaning towards Reform UK, 20% the Tories, 11% the Lib Dems and 5% the Greens. Liverpool Some 27% of Liverpool fans are planning to vote Labour at the next election, with 25% favouring Conservative, 22% Reform UK, 15% Lib Dem and 6% the Greens. Arsenal Out of Arsenal fans, 31% are intending to vote Labour, 22% the Tories, 20% Reform UK, 13% the Lib Dems and 11% the Greens. The club has the highest share of Green voters out of the top teams. Chelsea Some 34% of Chelsea voters plan to vote Labour, the joint-highest of any of the clubs, while 27% plan to vote Tory, also the highest share. Some 19% of them intend to vote Reform UK, with 10% the Lib Dems and 6% the Greens. Man City Out of Man City fans, 34% plan to vote Labour, the joint-highest of any of the top clubs. Some 29% plan to vote Reform, the highest of any of the top clubs, with 18% favouring Reform UK, 8% the Lib Dems and 5% the Greens. Other Premier League fans Of the fans of other clubs in the Premier League, over a third (34%) are planning to vote for Reform UK. Some 24% are intending to vote Labour, 13% Tory, 12% Lib Dem and 6% Greens. Lower league fans When it comes to fans of lower league teams, Reform UK again comes out on top, with 33% planning to vote for Nigel Farage's party. Some 18% favour Tory, the same proportion intending to vote Labour, while 13% are planning to vote Lib Dem and 8% the Greens. Non-football fans Out of people who don't support a football team, 28% are Reform UK voters, 22% are Labour, 19% are Tory, 16% Lib Dem and 8% Greens. More in Common conducted their surveys between 20-23 June and 18-20 July, with sample sizes of 2,004 and 2,153 respectively.
