WHAT THE! A rugby-inspired collission sport gathers momentum; coroner raises alarm
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A New Zealand coroner has raised concerns about a dangerous rugby-inspired sport called "Runit," where participants collide with each other without protective equipment.
The sport involves competitors standing 20 meters apart, running directly at each other, with victory determined by who dominates the collision.
Coroner Bruce Hesketh included these observations while investigating an unrelated death of a rugby league player.
The Runit Championship League, based in Australia, expanded to New Zealand this year, offering NZ$20,000 for regional competition winners and NZ$200,000 for the tournament champion.
The sport has gained popularity through social media, leading to unofficial events in both Australia and New Zealand.
A tragic incident occurred in May when 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite lost his life due to a severe head injury during an unofficial event in New Zealand.
"The competition has all the hallmarks of perilous activity that makes no attempt to mitigate head injury. There appears to be no governing body, the activity is not regulated and has no written publicly accessible rules of participation. Neither is there any information to players around the signs and dangers of concussion or concussion management."
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"Furthermore, all the applicable team sporting bodies involved have invested heavily in concussion awareness, prevention, identity and management."
Hesketh noted that while traditional rugby players aim to avoid tackles, Runit participants actively seek collisions.
The coroner advised against recognising Runit as an official sport.
The Runit Championship League markets itself as the "home of collisions."
Following Satterthwaite's death, New Zealand police issued warnings about the significant injury risks associated with the sport.
During the league's first Auckland event in May, two participants were knocked unconscious, and one suffered seizures from a head injury.
The crowd of over 1,000 people cheered during the collision that caused the seizures.
The league organisers relocated the final event to Dubai's Agenda Arena on June 28 after facing calls for a ban in New Zealand.
The organisation is providing travel arrangements for all competitors to attend the Dubai final.
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