Brain injury group appalled by 'horrendous' new collision sport
By Adam Burns of RNZ
A brain injury support group says it is appalled that the controversial collision sport Run it Straight is staging events across Auckland.
The activity, which has generated tens-of-millions of views on social media, involves a ball runner and a defender running full speed into each other within a 20 metre zone.
The participant who "dominates" the contact is deemed the winner.
On the RUNIT Championship League homepage, it claimed to be "the future and home of collision sports".
"RUNIT's the world's fiercest, new collision sport. Born to go viral, built to break limits, it has taken social media by storm with tens of millions of views.
"Designed for live crowds and global broadcasts, RUNIT delivers real athletes and the biggest collisions."
The first of several scheduled events in Auckland this week was held on Monday night at Trusts Arena with prize money of up to $20,000 on offer.
Chief executive of the Headway charity Stacey Mowbray said the activity was undoubtedly causing brain injury.
"There's some horrendous and really distressing videos. Going into seizure, having obvious brain injury, that's what we can see," she said.
"We refer to concussions as the invisible injury, so you don't have to see anything initially to have had one."
Mowbray said the format and promotion of the Run It Straight events appeared to exploit financially vulnerable people by offering large cash prizes.
"It's so hard to say no to this $20,000 carrot hanging in front of you when people right now are finding life pretty tough," she said.
Despite its burgeoning popularity, the sport has not been without other detractors in other contact codes over its safety and risk.
Former league internationals Dean Lonergan and Mark Carroll have raised concerns over its safety.
After representing both Australia and New South Wales during the 1990s, Carroll revealed in 2023 he had been diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
Headway also took aim at the involvement of New Zealand Warriors stand-off Chanel Harris-Tavita, who was a special guest at RUNIT's Auckland trial at Trusts Arena on Monday.
Other league stars, both current and former, have been involved in the promotion of Run it Straight, including Melbourne and Kiwi forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona and former South Sydney and Great Britain prop George Burgess.
"We have contacted New Zealand Warriors to express our serious concern about this association and what message this is sending," Mowbray said.
As reported by the NZ Herald, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) had also distanced itself from the sport, believing the sport "carried significant risk of serious injury".
Earlier this month, Headway also flagged concerns with Auckland Council, the Mayor's office, elected members and WorkSafe New Zealand about how permits for Run it Straight events were issued.
"This is not just a twisted ankle. A concussion, particularly when it's not managed properly, can have really significant impacts," Mowbray said.
"How, under the Health and Safety Act, did this permit get approved and how did the promoters provide evidence that they were mitigating the risks?"
RUNIT, Auckland Council and the New Zealand Warriors have all been approached for comment.
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