For several years now, by law the UK government have been made to respond and consider certain petitions that are given to them. In short, this is the case when a petition receives over 10,000 signatures and if a petition gets over 100,000 signatures then it will possibly be discussed in parliament.
So, what does this mean for grappling? A few weeks back a petition was made called “Approve the return to training plan for contact sports” which has now gained over 10,000 UK signatures. This means that the UK government will have to respond to this petition. Realistically this may not be the silver bullet that brings contact BJJ back to UK gyms, but nonetheless it is a step in the right direction. Apparently the UK government was meant to respond to an earlier petition which got cancelled in July.
Whatever your stance on the health and safety side of things, it’s clear that for mental health that BJJ is essential for some to avoid depression and even suicide.
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