c . Pete Suazo Athletic Commission

Pete Suazo Athletic Commission

Purpose

U.C.A. 63N-10

The mission of the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission (PSUAC) is to provide a safe, healthy environment for combat sports in the state of Utah . The commission will fulfill this purpose by establishing and maintaining administrative rules that effectively govern combat sports . PSUAC will enact the following strategies:

• Actively pursue proficiencies and technologies that ensure efficient and effective implementation of the

Administrative Rules

• Increase efforts to assist existing events and establish new events to promote economic development • Develop new working relationships with promotions outside of the state and educate them on the benefits of doing business in Utah

Key Initiatives

FY 2017 started with the largest Mixed Martial Arts event in Utah history: The Ultimate Fighting Championships held an event at the Vivint Smart Home Arena . Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing, and Kickboxing events at FitCon Utah (A Fitness Convention) at the Salt Palace saw nearly 40,000 visitors over that weekend .

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first event in Utah had an economic impact of several million dollars upon the greater Salt Lake City area . FitCon Utah brings yet another high profile event to the state that generated a considerable amount of media attention and local revenue .

It is the goal of the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission to expand on the momentum built in 2017 .

Internal Audit: With turnover of the director’s office of PSUAC, Executive Management of GOED conducted an internal audit to ensure compliance of internal controls and rules and regulations . The audit highlighted two main areas of focus: cash handling and licensing . PSUAC is a small program, run by a director and events are staffed as needed . This can create problems of segregation of duty and effective licensing verification. Therefore, PSUAC is in the process of implementing the following controls and efficiencies: 1 . Online payment process: In addition to the risks associated with cash handling, the current process of fee collection is time consuming and inadequate .

By switching to an online payment system, PSUAC can eliminate both fraud risks and increase overall efficiencies.

2 . Online licensing system: The current licensing system is outdated and inadequate for both the needs of the commission and the athletes . A program that is integrated with the payment system is currently being assessed .

Challenges and Achievements

The events booked in the state of Utah are done at the will of the promoters . It will be our focus to educate the promoters based outside of Utah about social and economic advantages to conducting business in our great state . To that end, PSUAC has set a goal to develop a program that would incentivize promotions to bring their events to Utah as well as provide logistical and educational support to the existing promotions in an attempt to make them more financially solvent.

Contact

Scott Bowler

PSUAC Executive Director 801-538-8876 sbowler@utah.gov