By Sensei Serge Sognonvi and Carmen Sognonvi, originally published at http://www.urbandojo.com/blog

Australian Muay Thai champion “John” Wayne Parr has found himself in the midst of controversy, as media outlets criticize his decision to let his 8-year-old daughter “Princess” Jasmine Parr fight in a kickboxing match.

Outlets such as Nine News played up the medical risks of such a fight:

Medical experts said the girls were being put at risk of a brain injury by fighting at such a young age.

“That type of recreation poses significant dangers for a whole range of different injuries,” Kellie Wilson, the trauma coordinator at Sydney Children’s Hospital, told Nine News.

But blog Head Kick Legend points out that these criticisms are largely baseless:

Those who have taken exception to young Jasmine Parr’s foray into kickboxing have advanced largely baseless arguments centered on safety concerns. Of course, Parr’s daughter was fully equipped with protective gear as a competitor of her age – or even an amateur adult competitor – would be. It’s difficult to claim that Parr’s daughter entered the competitive arena with any less attention paid to safety than is afforded those who compete in other areas of youth athletics.

What do you think of this story? Was it dangerous for these two young girls to fight? Or are people just not familiar with the kind of sparring that happens at martial arts tournaments/matches for kids?

Photo Credit: Nine News

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