Death of 14-year-old kickboxer in Leeds prompts calls for greater regulation of sport

Scott Marsden, aged 14, fell ill during a national title bout in Leeds on Saturday and died in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The British Kickboxing Council (BKC) added to the tributes being showered on the youngster, from Hillsborough, describing him as an 'amazingly talented young athlete'.

But the organisation said it did not sanction any full contact events for fighters aged under 16, and it was up to individual event organisers to ensure the safety of both competitors and spectators.

It has applied for permission to govern the sport, in which it feels safety procedures need to be a 'higher priority', and said Scott's tragic death strengthened its case for greater regulation.

"The BKC are currently applying to Sport England for the governance of kickboxing and freestyle combat sports, as the sport is unregulated and the BKC believe that safeguarding procedures need to be a higher priority within the sport," said a spokesperson for the organisation.