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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
British youths warned not to take part in trend after Kiwi teenager is killed in controversial game - but UK stars 'support it'
British teenagers have been warned not to take part in a dangerous trend that has led to the tragic death of a New Zealand teenager. The rugby-style tackling game has become popular online in recent months but with deadly consequences. In the game, two players charge head first towards each other over a 20-metre 'battlefield' without any protective equipment or kit. It has become a social media sensation, with organisers touting it as 'the world's fiercest new combat sport'. The aim of the game involves one player trying to tackle and take a rugby ball that their opponent is holding. The rules of the controversial game state: 'Victory belongs tot he one who dominates the collision', but for some players, it has resulted in their premature death. On Monday night a 19-year-old Kiwi man died after suffering a serious head injury in a game inspired by the controversial 'Run It Straight' trend. Ryan Satterthwaite from northern New Zealand passed away on after taking part in the full-contact collision game on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, (pictured) from New Zealand died after suffering a serious head injury in a game inspired by the controversial 'Run It Straight' trend Manawatū Police Inspector Ross Grantham confirmed the young man was playing an impromptu tackle game with friends when the injury occurred. He was taken to hospital by his friends, but could not be saved. The game has been championed by former England rugby player George Burgess, 33 who won £9,500 after competing in a tournament in Australia, according to The Mirror. Burgess who played his last game in the NRL for St George Illawarra three years ago and won 15 caps for England between 2013 and 2018, squared off against giant former winger, Nadolo, who stands at a towering 195cm and weighs approximately 136kg. Nadolo, who was born in Fiji, was capped 30 times for his home country, scoring a whopping 206 points and was renowned for his physicality. Neuroscientist Dr Helen Murray has called the game unacceptably risky. 'There is clearly a high risk of head injury in this event. There's no attempt to reduce head acceleration, so I do not support it,' she told the NZ Herald. Professor Patria Hume, an expert in sports science and injury prevention, said the sport is 'a step backwards'. 'This is a reckless and dangerous spectacle,' she said. 'The science is clear – repeated head impacts increase risk of long-term brain damage.' Run It Straight's founder, Christian Lesa, said community support remains strong despite backlash and stated the game should only be played under strict conditions. Sports star Burgess defended the concept, calling it a safe simulation of past combat. Event spokesperson Billy Coffey said organised competitions involve waivers, pre- and post-medicals, and on-site ambulances. He claimed it gives former athletes a chance to 'get off the couch' and reconnect with their competitive spirit.
Otago Daily Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Runit craze should be nabbed in its infancy
Dumber than the film Dumb and Dumber, the 'Runit' craze is crass and brainless. It's the new 'sport' where two people run at each other to 'dominate' the collision. On every level, it's stupid. No wonder there's been an outcry as it reached these shores this week. No wonder neurologists are appalled. It does not require much in the way of brains to know this activity is wrong. Runit started recently in Melbourne, endeavouring to ape the collision impacts of rugby, rugby league and American Football. It describes itself as the world's fiercest new combat sport. Unsurprisingly, participants are sometimes knocked out, although Runit feebly claims that's a possible side effect and not a feature, unlike other combat sports. Runit also touts the vetting of participants, the presence of doctors and strict rules. Legitimate sports have been recognising the dangers of repeated head knocks, head injuries and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Various protocols, stand downs, and rule changes have been introduced. Yet, this raw, crude pastime surges in popularity, attracting many millions of online views. This week, Runit hosted competitions in Auckland, attracting big names, and rival organisations had plans. Run it Straight 24's two events in South Auckland were cancelled after it failed to secure a venue. A clip from one of its Australian challenges is dumbfounding in its horror. A big crowd, including scores of children, cheered as a contestant was knocked out. He twitched on the ground in an apparent fit. Up the Guts NZ was entering the fray using a Jonah Lomu image in its advertising. Sickeningly, it claims the event will raise mental health and suicide awareness. Instead, it's more likely to cause long-term mental distress, given the connection between repeated head knocks and rapid head acceleration and CTE. CTE is linked with dementia and mental health deterioration. Its event today was also cancelled, the organiser citing the backlash to Runit. Up the Guts has under-18s, light heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions. What could go wrong? Let's injure teenagers as well. The presence of prominent sportsmen is deeply disappointing. Runit matched former English rugby league star George Burgess against rugby's Nemani Nadolo, a former Crusader. Sporting stars in New Zealand and Australia are associating with Runit. It reflects poorly on them. After preliminaries this week, the NZ finals in June boast a $200,000 first prize. The Runit league will later move to the United States, Saudi Arabia and Britain. New Zealand Rugby has condemned it, and rugby league should do likewise. Players and ex-players should be discouraged from any role in supporting events. Brutal MMA (mixed martial arts) and boxing already feature in the sporting world. Both, like Runit, appeal viscerally to basic instincts. All three are invitations to brain damage. The rise of another harmful combat sport is distressing. Runit and its counterparts have been labelled dumb. That hits the mark. ★★★ On to a genuine sport and more on the "misuse" of words. A "despairing cricket tragic" in an email let loose a bouncer (bumper in older parlance) on "nab" as used by ODT sports journalists and others for "take", as in "he came on to bowl and nabbed Smith's wicket". "Nab only means to catch a thief or to make a theft. "Why can't they simply use 'take/took' or use precise language such as 'bowled' or 'had Smith stumped' or 'had Smith caught in the gully'?" From the Collins Dictionary, the first two meanings, "to arrest" and "to catch (someone) in wrongdoing", agree. The third, "to seize suddenly; snatch", perhaps provides a little wriggle room. The dictionary's list of examples includes two from football, goals being nabbed rather than scored. This is another example of words changing meaning and language losing precision. Nab has swung a long way from its 16th to 17th century use as thieves' slang. civis@
1News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- 1News
New Run It competition makes NZ debut, fears over brain injury risk
The controversial new sport Run It made its New Zealand debut in west Auckland last night, but some are concerned about the risk of brain injuries. The Run It Championship League took inspiration from the physical collisions seen during rugby league or union games as two participants – a runner and tackler – stand at each end of a 20m by 4m field and run toward each other at speed. Event organiser Billy Coffey said the goal was to "either run over your defender or take out the ball runner". "There's nowhere to hide, it's you one-on-one. And usually as a player you have 13 or 15 other people on the field, not anymore," he said. It had held several events in Australia offering thousands of dollars in prize money to the winners, and has gained social media attention and endorsements from former players. Former NRL player George Burgess told 1News when he stepped away from rugby, he felt like he had lost something. "With Run It, it gives retired athletes like me [a way] to tap in to that thing you love about sport," he said. However, Auckland University neuroscientist Helen Murray said the likelihood of injury was "much higher" in a sport where the intent was to collide. "When you have these sorts of collisions, even if your head isn't directly involved, we have what you call a head acceleration event. "So the brain is bouncing around in your skull [and] the risk of that causing damage, concussion or worse is even higher," she said. Coffey said there were strict measures in place to keep people safe. "Everyone signs a waiver, everyone gets a medical check, there's doctors on site and you know that risk. But it's also the daring nature of it." He said he doesn't want to see competitors knocked out. "It's really brought the community together everywhere we go, and that's why we do it."
NZ Herald
20-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
What is ‘run it straight'? The new combat sport being condemned by leading doctors
The frontrunner of the new sport is an Australian-based organisation named Runit Championship League, which has enlisted the help of former NRL heavyweight George Burgess to take it global. The Herald first reported the league, which its organisers stress is a professionally arranged sport, was coming to Auckland last month. The first 'trial date' was held in the City of Sails on Monday night, with the second set to take place on Wednesday night. The trials involve 16 players competing for prizes of $20,000. The top eight earn a spot in the final, which will be held in June, where the winner takes home $200k. The first event was held in Melbourne last month and after New Zealand the league will travel to America, Saudi Arabia and Britain later in the year. 'People want to see competition and this is definitely the purest form of that – two guys up against each other and one's going to come off the best,' Burgess told the Herald. At least two competitors were knocked unconscious during the Melbourne final. But now, other analogous events are appearing across Auckland, with different organisers set to host events this week. What other groups are organising similar events? In Auckland alone this week, two other groups are planning to run similar events, with large cash prizes the common denominator. Run It Straight 24 The Herald last month published a video from an event run by YouTube content creators in Australia – in which a man was knocked unconscious and suffered an apparent seizure as hundreds of children watched on. The ball runner cops a shoulder to the head and slumps to the floor, before suffering what appears to be an involuntary repeat arm-jerking movement on the ground as he is crowded by hundreds of spectators, including children. 'Dumbest game ever ... And yet people [are] running out to celebrate over someone who almost lost his life,' one person commented on the video, which had been viewed more than 2.5 million times in a matter of days. Advertise with NZME. Runit Championship League organisers said the incident captured in the video was not in any way related to them and called it 'quite distressing'. 'The video we felt was horrendous and backyard events such as that one was very disappointing to see.' The organisers of the event, named Run It Straight 24, did not comment on the video when approached by the Herald but have now crossed to this side of the Tasman to run similar backyard-style events. Seemingly competing with Runit Championship League, the organisers will host two events in South Auckland this week – one at the Manukau Rovers Rugby Football Club on Wednesday and another at the Marist Saints Rugby League Club on Thursday. They have advertised a $10,000 prize for the winner and $2000 for second place. Up the Guts NZ Advertisement Advertise with NZME. The third event, which has donned the name 'Up the Guts NZ' and is being advertised using an image of All Black great Jonah Lomu, has been organised by a group in East Auckland. It claims the event will raise mental health and suicide awareness and offers three main events – under-18s, light heavyweight and super heavyweight. This single event is being hosted at Barfoot & Thompson Stadium in Kohimarama and boasts cash prizes of up to $5000. 'It's exploitation': Why is the sport being condemned? While the new sport has amassed a significant following on social media over the past month, leading neuroscientists have consistently condemned the concept since its inception. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) expert Dr Helen Murray told the Herald there is clearly 'a high risk of head injury in this event'. 'From a CTE standpoint, we know that exposure to repeated head acceleration events is the biggest risk factor for CTE pathology, and therefore finding ways to reduce these impacts in contact sports is a priority for player safety,' Murray said. 'It appears there is no attempt to mitigate head acceleration events in this activity and the risk of significant injury is high given the intent to collide, so I do not support it.' Professor Patria Hume, sports scientist and injury prevention expert at Auckland University of Technology, called the sport 'a step backwards' in athlete safety. Hume called it a 'reckless and dangerous spectacle' that contradicts decades of scientific evidence on head injury risks in contact sport. 'We've spent years building evidence-based strategies to reduce head and neck injuries in rugby and contact sports. This event ignores all of that.' Stacey Mowbray, chief executive of Headway – a concussion and brain injury education charity – told the Herald the events present 'serious risk of traumatic brain injury or death'. 'Headway supports sports but run it straight is not a sport. It is a dangerous spectacle with an extremely high risk of brain injury. She believed promotional material and the event's format appear to 'deliberately target vulnerable communities' by offering large prize money as an incentive to participate. 'For many, particularly those under financial pressure, that's a difficult offer to refuse – even when the risk of serious harm is known.' Mowbray said she'd raised her concerns with Auckland Council, the mayor, deputy mayor, local MPs and WorkSafe New Zealand, but had been disappointed by the responses.
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
America discovers violent Aussie sport, divided by sickening ‘Run It Straight' KOs
The sporting world has discovered the new 'Run It Straight' craze and it appears people don't quite know what to make of the violent new sport taking Australia by storm. Run it straight has transformed from a viral social media trend to a full fledged sport in recent months, with 'Run it Straight Official' and 'RUNIT Championship League' turning it into a business and holding competitions in Australia. Last week the RUNIT Championship League held a competition in Melbourne, with $20,000 up for grabs for the winner. Semi Osa was declared the winner of the event at Melbourne Pavilion that drew a solid crowd and racked up millions of views online. Former Rabbitohs forward George Burgess took on ex-Fijian rugby player Nemani Nadolo in an exhibition — Burgess got the win and managed to knock Nadolo over, but it looked like the two footy stars held back ever so slightly and couldn't produce a knockout collision. One disappointed fan wrote on Instagram: 'Check their brake pads. Handbrake was still up on first gear,' while another said 'they played it safe'. Burgess and Nadolo posed for a photo afterwards, with the Fijian saying RUNIT was 'one of the scariest yet most fulfilling things I've done since retiring from the game.' Sport fans around the world including America have discovered RUNIT's big hits, and opinion is divided. Footage of one contestant getting poleaxed and his body going limp from a massive hit has gone viral, racking up 19 million views on Instagram — and it's safe to say not everyone is a fan of Run It Straight. 'Ban this before someone dies,' one person commented. 'How much do these guys get paid to get permanent brain damage,' a second said. A third added: 'This is so stupid! All fun and games until someone gets permanently injured. A fourth said: 'This is the lowest form of IQ for sport. Minimal to no skill. Just hammer as hard as you can. What is next? Who can run into a wall the hardest head first?' Another commented: 'When rugby turns into stupid American games …' RUNIT believe they are onto the next big thing and are confident the sport can one day rival the UFC. Judging by the reaction from American sport fans on social media, it's safe to say Run It Straight might have more of a future as a TV product than pickleball or Dana White's Power Slap. One person wrote: 'Where can I bet on this?' Popular US sports social media account Barstool Sports shared a story about Run It Straight, describing it as 'the sport of the future'. 'Run It Straight has everything you could ever want in a new sport,' Barstool wrote. 'Speed and violence. And there's absolutely zero barrier for entry. 'There are no complex rules that a casual viewer wouldn't understand. There are no little intricacies of the game that wouldn't translate to a television audience.' Bussin' With The Boys posted a clip of a brutal collision, declaring: 'The next great sport is here, Run It Straight.' Many American sport fans likened Run It Straight to the Oklahoma gridiron drill where two players, often a defensive and offensive player, collide after getting a running start. But the Tight Five Rugby accounted posted: 'This new run it straight competition is sickening. People with zero technique running at full tilt, someone is going to get seriously injured soon.' What is Run It Straight? The sport involves four rounds of players charging at each other along 'a 20m x 4m battlefield' grass runway, with each competitor taking turns carrying a rugby league ball. The objective is to either successfully tackle the opponent or run them over in a hard-hitting collision. The contest is ended when a player is knocked out or concussed. If both competitors are still standing and have their wits about them after four rounds, a set of judges decide the winner, with the main criteria they are judging being damage. Co-founders Rennie Molimau and Virgil Tauaa say they have modelled the league off the success of the World Arm Wrestling League and Power Slap and believe it is destined to succeed. After the Melbourne competition, RUNIT will then head to New Zealand on May 25, before going to the United States, Saudi Arabia and England later in the year. Expert slams 'violent' risks of Run It Straight RUNIT states, unlike most 'run-it-straight' challenges, they have a set of strict rules, with medical staff waiting to assess players before and after each hit in a bid to combat head injuries and promote safety. But with damage the end goal it is a difficult proposition to achieve. While on the surface it all might seem like all fun and laughs, leading Australian sports neuroscientist Dr Alan Pearce found it almightily troubling, telling that participants need to understand they are likely shortening their lives every time they 'run it straight'. 'I was pretty gobsmacked, speechless actually when I saw this competition idea starting because for me as someone who has seen hundreds of footballers and rugby league players who are now struggling with brain injury and long-term impairment it is really troubling,' Dr Pearce told 'I just cannot understand how they could take the most violent aspect of sport and just turn it into a spectacle where the objective is just to try and knock out or hurt your opponent. 'In a lot of these other sports (such as NRL, AFL and rugby union) you're trying to avoid direct contact whereas this is purely running at each other, it's insanity.' It begs the question, why would people want to compete in a sport that puts not only your body on the line but your brain health? Dr Pearce hypothesised it may be down to the growing belief that traditional contact sports have 'gone soft', a notion he believes has been incorrectly peddled for years. 'A lot of these people competing have a footy background and if anything it's worse as they have already likely had several head knocks which add up a lot quicker than people realise,' Dr Pearce said. 'Then there's the idea that (contact) sport is getting soft. But that's incorrect, it is actually getting far harder as the athletes are now bigger, stronger and faster than ever before, just look at the injury lists every week. 'We are seeing at all levels of the game higher injury rates but yet people are still complaining that sports are getting soft because we're trying to crack down on things that are causing damage to our brains and bodies. 'So to them, I'd say you look at the evidence first before making comments around the game getting soft. We're just basically trying to be more responsible in looking after our athletes as they are not just commodities.'
