Rhode Island § 41-5-11 - Boxing and Wrestling

§ 41-5-11. Physician and first-aid instructor or licensed practical nurse in attendance — Examination of participants before match.

(a) At any boxing or sparring match or exhibition there shall be in attendance, at ringside, a duly licensed physician, whose duty it shall be to observe the physical condition of the boxers and to advise the referee or judges with regard thereto, and a duly licensed first-aid instructor or licensed practical nurse whose duty it shall be to assist the physician and to render such aid to boxers as circumstances may require. Any competent physician who has had not less than three (3) years’ experience as a medical practitioner may be licensed. Any person holding a valid certification as a first-aid instructor issued by any state chapter of the American Red Cross association and who is competent as such may be licensed.

(b) The fee for the physician in attendance and the first-aid instructor in attendance shall be fixed by the division of gaming and athletics licensing and shall be paid by the licensee conducting the match or exhibition. The fees shall be tendered to the division at the time the license for the match or exhibition is issued under § 41-5-1, to be held by the division in escrow until the services are rendered.

(c) No boxer shall be permitted to box unless, not more than three (3) hours before, a physician, licensed under this chapter, shall certify, in writing, that the boxer is physically fit to engage in the proposed contest. The certification shall be based in part on an examination of the boxer by a duly licensed physician in the office of the division on the morning of the match or exhibition or at least six (6) hours before the boxer is scheduled to enter the ring, whichever is earlier. The physician’s fee, as fixed by the division, shall be paid by the licensee conducting the match or exhibition prior to the issuance of the certification by the physician. In the event that a boxer cannot be certified as physically fit to engage in the proposed contest, then that fact shall be made known to the public prior to the acceptance of an admission fee or the tender of an admission ticket for the match or exhibition. Any person who pays an admission fee prior to the disclosure that the boxer is not certified as physically fit shall, at his or her election, be entitled to an immediate refund of the admission fee. The examinations required by this section shall include an examination of the boxer’s vision and eye condition.