Combat Sports Participation Waiver and Acknowledgement of Risk

Version: waiver-v2 · Jurisdiction: South Africa · Locale: en-ZA · Last updated: 22 August 2026 · Effective: 22 August 2026

Read this document carefully before applying. Combat sports involve deliberate physical contact and a risk of serious injury. This waiver records your acknowledgement of those risks and the responsibilities you accept if the organiser selects you to participate.

Submitting an application does not guarantee selection or medical, regulatory, or competitive clearance. WhatAnEvent provides the application and event-operations technology; it does not select participants, sanction contests, provide medical clearance, or operate the venue unless expressly stated for a specific event.

1. People covered

In this waiver:

Participant means the person applying to compete or take part.
Organiser means the person or entity identified as operating the event.
Event Personnel means the organiser, venue operator, sanctioning or governing body, officials, referees, judges, timekeepers, medical personnel, coaches, seconds, contractors, staff, and volunteers involved in the event.
Platform means WhatAnEvent and its event-operations services.

The exact legal roles and responsibilities of Event Personnel are determined by applicable law, accreditation, contracts, and the event arrangements. This waiver does not make WhatAnEvent responsible for functions it does not perform.

2. Nature of the risks

You understand that training for and participating in boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grappling, or another combat sport may involve foreseeable and unforeseeable risks, including:

Strikes, throws, takedowns, submissions, joint locks, chokes, falls, collisions, and contact with equipment, structures, or other people.
Cuts, bruises, dental injury, sprains, dislocations, fractures, eye injury, concussion, brain injury, spinal injury, internal injury, loss of consciousness, illness, infection, permanent disability, paralysis, and death.
Dehydration, rapid weight change, fatigue, heat stress, adverse reaction to equipment or treatment, and aggravation of a known or unknown condition.
Risks arising during training, warm-up, weigh-in, medical examination, competition, movement around the venue, and emergency response or transport.
Conduct or error by another participant or other person that is inherent in or incidental to a combat-sports environment.

Protective equipment, rules, matching, officials, and medical support reduce some risks but cannot remove them.

3. Voluntary participation

You choose to apply and, if selected, participate voluntarily. You may withdraw before participation, subject to any separate contractual consequence that is lawful and disclosed. You must not be pressured to continue after injury, illness, a tap, a referee stoppage, or a medical instruction.

You accept the ordinary inherent risks of the activity to the extent permitted by South African law. Nothing in this waiver excludes a duty, right, remedy, or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, and it does not excuse fraud, wilful misconduct, gross negligence, or another legally non-excludable act.

4. Health, fitness, and disclosure

You confirm that, to the best of your knowledge, the information you provide about your identity, age, experience, record, division, weight, health clearance, suspensions, and eligibility is accurate and not misleading.

You must disclose to the organiser or authorised medical professional any condition, symptom, injury, medication, suspension, recent knockout or concussion, pregnancy, or other fact that could materially affect safe participation where disclosure is reasonably required. If your condition changes, you must notify the organiser promptly and must not participate contrary to medical advice.

Your own statement of fitness is not medical clearance. The organiser, governing body, or medical professional may require examinations, certificates, tests, or further information and may refuse or stop participation. WhatAnEvent does not provide medical advice and does not verify medical fitness.

Unsafe weight cutting, dehydration, misuse of medication, prohibited substances, or concealment of a condition may endanger you and others and may result in removal or disciplinary action.

5. Rules, matching, and instructions

You agree to read and follow the ruleset identified for the event, lawful instructions from authorised officials and medical personnel, venue and equipment requirements, weigh-in procedures, anti-doping requirements, and safety decisions.

You must compete only in the matchup, division, category, and conditions approved by the responsible organiser and any applicable governing or sanctioning body. You may decline a materially changed matchup or condition before participation, subject to the applicable rules and agreements.

A referee, medic, governing body, or organiser may stop or prevent participation for safety, eligibility, misconduct, or regulatory reasons. You agree to release a submission immediately on a tap or stoppage and to stop competing when instructed.

6. Emergency assistance

If you are unable to communicate and urgent assistance is reasonably required, you authorise Event Personnel to arrange first aid, medical assessment, ambulance transport, or emergency treatment in accordance with their professional judgement and applicable law.

This authorisation does not guarantee that any particular medical resource will be available. Responsibility for treatment costs depends on applicable law, event arrangements, insurance, and the relevant service provider. The organiser should disclose the event's medical and emergency arrangements before participation.

7. Personal property, travel, and expenses

Unless a written agreement says otherwise, you are responsible for your personal property, travel, accommodation, equipment, licences, medical certificates, insurance, and other participation costs. Do not leave valuables unsecured at the venue.

8. Release and responsibility for your conduct

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release WhatAnEvent and Event Personnel from claims arising only from ordinary inherent risks that you knowingly and voluntarily accept under this waiver.

You remain responsible for loss or injury caused by your intentional misconduct, dishonest disclosure, unlawful conduct, or material breach of the applicable rules. To the extent permitted by law, you agree to reimburse a covered person for a third-party claim caused directly by that conduct. This is not an indemnity for that person's own unlawful conduct, negligence, or breach of a non-excludable duty.

9. Personal information, communications, and media

Application, consent, medical-clearance status, incident, and result information is handled as described in the Privacy Policy and any organiser notice that applies.

The required Event Communications Consent is separate from this waiver. Optional promotional use of your name, photograph, likeness, or profile is governed by the separate Promotional and Name-and-Likeness Consent. Accepting this waiver does not itself grant optional promotional permission.

Factual results, disciplinary records, and safety or regulatory records may still be created or retained under the rules and applicable law.

10. Participants under 18

A person under 18 must not accept this waiver alone. The organiser must use a separate process to obtain approval and signature from a parent, guardian, or other person legally competent to consent, together with any child-participation, medical, governing-body, and safeguarding requirements.

The current WhatAnEvent checkbox does not by itself establish guardian consent. An organiser must not permit a minor to participate until the required separate process is complete.

11. No guarantee of selection or safety

An application, acceptance, matchup, ticket, waiver record, or Platform status does not guarantee selection, a particular opponent, payment, insurance, regulatory approval, medical clearance, an injury-free event, or the availability of a particular official or medical service.

12. Governing law and severability

This waiver is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Event-specific regulatory and governing-body requirements continue to apply.

If a provision is unlawful or unenforceable, it will be limited only to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will continue where legally possible.

13. Confirmation

By selecting the waiver checkbox and submitting the application, you confirm that:

You have read and understood this waiver.
You had the opportunity to ask the organiser questions before participating.
The information you supplied is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
You understand the serious risks and the limits of this waiver.
You agree voluntarily and have legal capacity to do so.

Questions about event safety, medical requirements, insurance, or sanctioning must be directed to the organiser before participation. Platform support is available at support@whatanevent.app.