NZ's Leading Sports Clinicians Call For Ban On RunIt
Executive members of Sports Medicine New Zealand (SMNZ) are appalled at the lack of safety measures and regulations that have already lead to severe injuries, and at least one fatality, attributed to new social media event 'RunIt'.
'This activity doesn't just endanger participants, but makes a mockery of the considerable effort and investment contact sports have made on impact-readiness training, brain injury awareness, reporting and management, all in a bid to ensure the safety and well-being of athletes' says Dr Stephen Kara, National Chair of SMNZ.
The biomechanics of RunIt collisions are comparable to severe car crashes. When two 105 kg participants (average body mass of rugby players) sprint towards each other, the impact force can exceed 16,800 Newtons. This force is over three times that of a professional boxer's punch and more than 1.5 times the force of falling from two meters. Such high impact collisions carry a significant risk of severe brain injury, fractures, and death.
'New Zealand is a proud sporting nation and those of us who work in the industry, committed to helping athletes achieve their best and stay healthy, are astounded that such an event can not only be permitted under the Health and Safety Act, but can even remotely call itself a 'sport'.
'RunIt is not a sport. It is jousting without sticks, and whilst that may have been a sport in medieval times, it has no place in today's sporting arenas.'
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a day ago
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NZ's Leading Sports Clinicians Call For Ban On RunIt
Executive members of Sports Medicine New Zealand (SMNZ) are appalled at the lack of safety measures and regulations that have already lead to severe injuries, and at least one fatality, attributed to new social media event 'RunIt'. 'This activity doesn't just endanger participants, but makes a mockery of the considerable effort and investment contact sports have made on impact-readiness training, brain injury awareness, reporting and management, all in a bid to ensure the safety and well-being of athletes' says Dr Stephen Kara, National Chair of SMNZ. The biomechanics of RunIt collisions are comparable to severe car crashes. When two 105 kg participants (average body mass of rugby players) sprint towards each other, the impact force can exceed 16,800 Newtons. This force is over three times that of a professional boxer's punch and more than 1.5 times the force of falling from two meters. Such high impact collisions carry a significant risk of severe brain injury, fractures, and death. 'New Zealand is a proud sporting nation and those of us who work in the industry, committed to helping athletes achieve their best and stay healthy, are astounded that such an event can not only be permitted under the Health and Safety Act, but can even remotely call itself a 'sport'. 'RunIt is not a sport. It is jousting without sticks, and whilst that may have been a sport in medieval times, it has no place in today's sporting arenas.'
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Not a sport': Top NZ sports doctors call for ban on RunIt
RUNIT Auckland. Trusts Stadium. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport Some of the country's top sports doctors have joined a growing chorus calling for a ban to the social media event 'RunIt', saying the collisions between participants are comparable to car crashes. The events, in which two competitors run at each other before colliding at full speed, is growing in popularity and two men were knocked unconscious during a recent event in Auckland, with one slumping to the ground and appearing to have a seizure. A Palmerston North teenager died after taking part in a backyard version of the game. Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, died after suffering a catastrophic head injury. His uncle Pete Satterthwaite told RNZ he had been told it was a "very freak accident". He said when he saw Run It in the news, he thought it was a "stupid idea and nothing good is going to come of it, and someone is going to get seriously hurt". Former All Black Eroni Clarke, now the Pasifika Engagement Manager for NZ Rugby, has also warned against taking part in such events. He told RNZ it would be hard to ban the game, but he encouraged people to stay away and, if they wanted to take part in a contact sport, join a rugby team and receive proper coaching. RUNIT Auckland. Trusts Stadium. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / Photosport Some of Aotearoa's top clinicians also want the events banned. In a statement, Executive members of Sports Medicine New Zealand (SMNZ), said it was "appalled at the lack of safety measures and regulations that have already lead to severe injuries, and at least one fatality, attributed to new social media event 'RunIt'". Dr Stephen Kara, National Chair of SMNZ, said the biomechanics of RunIt collisions are comparable to severe car crashes. "When two 105kg participants (average body mass of rugby players) sprint towards each other, the impact force can exceed 16,800 Newtons. This force is over three times that of a professional boxer's punch and more than 1.5 times the force of falling from two meters. Such high-impact collisions carry a significant risk of severe brain injury, fractures, and death," Dr Kara said. "This activity doesn't just endanger participants, but makes a mockery of the considerable effort and investment contact sports have made on impact-readiness training, brain injury awareness, reporting and management, all in a bid to ensure the safety and well-being of athletes. "New Zealand is a proud sporting nation and those of us who work in the industry, committed to helping athletes achieve their best and stay healthy, are astounded that such an event can not only be permitted under the Health and Safety Act, but can even remotely call itself a 'sport'. "RunIt is not a sport. It is jousting without sticks, and whilst that may have been a sport in medieval times, it has no place in today's sporting arenas."
NZ Herald
3 days ago
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