Latest news with #Popham
France 24
4 days ago
- Health
- France 24
Ex-Wales flanker Popham wants his day in court with rugby authorities
The former Wales flanker, who won 33 caps between 2003 and 2008 and played in two World Cups, was diagnosed in 2020 with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the age of 40. CTE is a progressive brain condition that is thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head and episodes of concussion. The basis of the legal case is that rugby's governing bodies failed to provide sufficient protection from the risks caused by concussion. "The press are talking about 500 players, but I can tell you by the end of May, which is the deadline to join the suit, it will be double that," Popham told AFP in a phone interview. "Everyone is in a different situation. However, I want to go to court and eyeball some of the people still involved in the game, who are part of the reason why we are in the mess we are in. "Over the past six years what I have read and the evidence we have got needs to be public and go on the record. "It is very powerful." The sport's governing body World Rugby said the ongoing legal action prevented them from engaging with players "concerned in this story." However, in a statement to AFP, they said: "We would want them to know that we listen, we care and we never stand still on player welfare." 'Measures in place' Popham, who realised something was seriously wrong when in 2019 he got lost on a bike ride close to his home and had to use an app to find his way back, is not just investing his time in the lawsuit. He has also been going to schools and spreading the word about the risks involved. He hopes the Brainsafe programme -- which is the "baby" of Popham, his wife Mel and two others and endorsed by the charity Head for Change -- will be rolled out nationally in September. "We have seen 350 children, coaches and parents since January and are tweaking it now," he said. "It is not all about doom and gloom, it is sports-specific as any child can have brain traumatic injury. "We inform them of the signs and symptoms." Popham, who is in training for an ironman event later this year, said the lack of knowledge about the risks had astonished him. "Around 90 percent of parents, player and coaches still do not understand that every contact is causing damage," said the 45-year-old. "Key rugby schools do but others less so, and some of the parents unfortunately are not interested." Participation in rugby in schools in England is on the decline. In the 2022-23 school year, 8.3 percent of children aged five to 16 played rugby, down from 9.7 percent four years earlier. The decline was highlighted in last October's Review of Rugby in Schools which said the RFU, which commissioned the report, faced "an urgent issue approaching crisis point." As a result the RFU invested £5 million ($6.8 million) into TI, a version of touch rugby that replicates scrums, lineouts and other technical aspects of the 15-a-side game. On the other hand there are those who argue that in the contact format it is better that youngsters learn how to tackle aged nine rather than 14 when they are physically bigger. Popham strongly disagrees. He said it was "easy to say about nine-year-olds the younger they learn the technique the better it is," but equated it to encouraging young children to smoke. "It is better to put measures in place to protect them," he said. In terms of warning about the risks, he believes public health advertisements are the way forward. "Like those used in the past to advocate how bad smoking is for your health or how you can save your life by using seat belts," he said.
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Int'l Business Times
Ex-Wales Flanker Popham Wants His Day In Court With Rugby Authorities
Alix Popham, one of hundreds of former rugby players to bring a lawsuit against the sport's authorities for head injuries, told AFP he wants his day in court so he can look in the face some of the officials "who are part of the reason why we are in the mess we are in." The former Wales flanker, who won 33 caps between 2003 and 2008 and played in two World Cups, was diagnosed in 2020 with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the age of 40. CTE is a progressive brain condition that is thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head and episodes of concussion. The basis of the legal case is that rugby's governing bodies failed to provide sufficient protection from the risks caused by concussion. "The press are talking about 500 players, but I can tell you by the end of May, which is the deadline to join the suit, it will be double that," Popham told AFP in a phone interview. "Everyone is in a different situation. However, I want to go to court and eyeball some of the people still involved in the game, who are part of the reason why we are in the mess we are in. "Over the past six years what I have read and the evidence we have got needs to be public and go on the record. "It is very powerful." The sport's governing body World Rugby said the ongoing legal action prevented them from engaging with players "concerned in this story." However, in a statement to AFP, they said: "We would want them to know that we listen, we care and we never stand still on player welfare." Popham, who realised something was seriously wrong when in 2019 he got lost on a bike ride close to his home and had to use an app to find his way back, is not just investing his time in the lawsuit. He has also been going to schools and spreading the word about the risks involved. He hopes the Brainsafe programme -- which is the "baby" of Popham, his wife Mel and two others and endorsed by the charity Head for Change -- will be rolled out nationally in September. "We have seen 350 children, coaches and parents since January and are tweaking it now," he said. "It is not all about doom and gloom, it is sports-specific as any child can have brain traumatic injury. "We inform them of the signs and symptoms." Popham, who is in training for an ironman event later this year, said the lack of knowledge about the risks had astonished him. "Around 90 percent of parents, player and coaches still do not understand that every contact is causing damage," said the 45-year-old. "Key rugby schools do but others less so, and some of the parents unfortunately are not interested." Participation in rugby in schools in England is on the decline. In the 2022-23 school year, 8.3 percent of children aged five to 16 played rugby, down from 9.7 percent four years earlier. The decline was highlighted in last October's Review of Rugby in Schools which said the RFU, which commissioned the report, faced "an urgent issue approaching crisis point." As a result the RFU invested GBP5 million ($6.8 million) into TI, a version of touch rugby that replicates scrums, lineouts and other technical aspects of the 15-a-side game. On the other hand there are those who argue that in the contact format it is better that youngsters learn how to tackle aged nine rather than 14 when they are physically bigger. Popham strongly disagrees. He said it was "easy to say about nine-year-olds the younger they learn the technique the better it is," but equated it to encouraging young children to smoke. "It is better to put measures in place to protect them," he said. In terms of warning about the risks, he believes public health advertisements are the way forward. "Like those used in the past to advocate how bad smoking is for your health or how you can save your life by using seat belts," he said. "That is what needs to happen -- to disabuse people of the attitude of 'oh it won't happen to me'." Alix and Mel Popham are taking their Brainsafe programme into schools to warn people about the risks of rugby AFP
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Ex-Wales flanker Popham wants his day in court with rugby authorities
Former Wales flanker Alix Popham wants to go to court in the legal suit against rugby authorities so he can face those he holds responsible for his brain condition (ADRIAN DENNIS) Alix Popham, one of hundreds of former rugby players to bring a lawsuit against the sport's authorities for head injuries, told AFP he wants his day in court so he can look in the face some of the officials "who are part of the reason why we are in the mess we are in." The former Wales flanker, who won 33 caps between 2003 and 2008 and played in two World Cups, was diagnosed in 2020 with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the age of 40. Advertisement CTE is a progressive brain condition that is thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head and episodes of concussion. The basis of the legal case is that rugby's governing bodies failed to provide sufficient protection from the risks caused by concussion. "The press are talking about 500 players, but I can tell you by the end of May, which is the deadline to join the suit, it will be double that," Popham told AFP in a phone interview. "Everyone is in a different situation. However, I want to go to court and eyeball some of the people still involved in the game, who are part of the reason why we are in the mess we are in. Advertisement "Over the past six years what I have read and the evidence we have got needs to be public and go on the record. "It is very powerful." The sport's governing body World Rugby said the ongoing legal action prevented them from engaging with players "concerned in this story." However, in a statement to AFP, they said: "We would want them to know that we listen, we care and we never stand still on player welfare." - 'Measures in place' - Popham, who realised something was seriously wrong when in 2019 he got lost on a bike ride close to his home and had to use an app to find his way back, is not just investing his time in the lawsuit. Advertisement He has also been going to schools and spreading the word about the risks involved. He hopes the Brainsafe programme -- which is the "baby" of Popham, his wife Mel and two others and endorsed by the charity Head for Change -- will be rolled out nationally in September. "We have seen 350 children, coaches and parents since January and are tweaking it now," he said. "It is not all about doom and gloom, it is sports-specific as any child can have brain traumatic injury. "We inform them of the signs and symptoms." Popham, who is in training for an ironman event later this year, said the lack of knowledge about the risks had astonished him. Advertisement "Around 90 percent of parents, player and coaches still do not understand that every contact is causing damage," said the 45-year-old. "Key rugby schools do but others less so, and some of the parents unfortunately are not interested." Participation in rugby in schools in England is on the decline. In the 2022-23 school year, 8.3 percent of children aged five to 16 played rugby, down from 9.7 percent four years earlier. The decline was highlighted in last October's Review of Rugby in Schools which said the RFU, which commissioned the report, faced "an urgent issue approaching crisis point." Advertisement As a result the RFU invested £5 million ($6.8 million) into TI, a version of touch rugby that replicates scrums, lineouts and other technical aspects of the 15-a-side game. On the other hand there are those who argue that in the contact format it is better that youngsters learn how to tackle aged nine rather than 14 when they are physically bigger. Popham strongly disagrees. He said it was "easy to say about nine-year-olds the younger they learn the technique the better it is," but equated it to encouraging young children to smoke. "It is better to put measures in place to protect them," he said. Advertisement In terms of warning about the risks, he believes public health advertisements are the way forward. "Like those used in the past to advocate how bad smoking is for your health or how you can save your life by using seat belts," he said. "That is what needs to happen -- to disabuse people of the attitude of 'oh it won't happen to me'." pi/gj
Reuters
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
UK startup Volklec to make EV batteries with licensed Chinese technology
LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - British startup Volklec has reached a licensing agreement with China's Far East Battery (FEB) to use its technology to make batteries for energy storage and electric vehicles, it said on Wednesday. FEB, a unit of Far East Smarter Energy Co ( opens new tab, will also provide engineers and other support to help Volklec scale up production at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), a partly government-funded battery factory in Coventry. The Chinese company will also provide Volklec with access to its supply chain to lower costs. European battery makers have struggled with the challenges of developing a viable chemistry for EV batteries while also raising funds and scaling up in an industry dominated by China. After prominent failures like Britishvolt and Sweden's Northvolt, which is undergoing restructuring, industry experts predict more European battery firms will need Chinese cash and expertise to scale up. Volklec said in late 2025 it will start producing "energy cell" batteries for e-scooters, e-bikes and EV chargers as well as energy storage, with a "power cell" for EVs coming in the second half of 2026. UK investment company Frontive Group has committed 20 million pounds ($25.3 million) for production of the energy cell. Volklec executive director Phil Popham told Reuters the company will need to raise 80 million pounds for a new 1 gigawatt hour (GWh) production line at the UKBIC for the power cell. Volklec is talking to a number of automakers about using the cells, he said, declining to disclose which companies. Popham said FEB has supplied cells for about a million EVs so far. "Volklec's approach is all about getting to market quickly using proven technology to give confidence to customers and investors," Popham said. "We know where we're going to buy it, where we'll produce it and what we'll produce."
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
UK battery firm says it has learned from others' errors as it licenses Chinese tech
A startup has said it has learned from Britain's faltering attempts to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles, as it signed a deal to license technology from an established Chinese firm. Coventry-based Volklec plans to manufacture batteries for cars, boats, construction vehicles and aircraft using technology from China's Far East Battery (FEB), a maker of batteries mainly for electric bikes. Volklec has appointed former Lotus Cars chief executive Phil Popham as executive director to lead its efforts. Popham said the company would take a low-risk approach to avoid problems that have hampered other British attempts to build EV batteries at scale. The startup will aim to start producing batteries this year at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), a part government-funded research centre in the West Midlands. It will then find a site to build a factory making batteries with a cumulative capacity of 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) a year. The UK has struggled to attract investment in battery manufacturing. There are two companies with 'gigafactories' in the UK: the Chinese-owned AESC, which supplies Nissan's Sunderland factory from a site next door, and Agratas, owned by the Indian conglomerate Tata, which is building a factory in Somerset to supply batteries to JLR, the maker of Jaguar and Land Rover cars. Those factories are aimed at producing batteries with total capacities of 38GWh and 40GWh respectively – enough for hundreds of thousands of cars apiece. However, Popham said there was a need for a UK battery company to supply other businesses that did not have enough demand for a gigafactory on their own. 'We believe there is a robust market for an independent British manufacturer,' he said. The partnership would make Volklec dependent on its Chinese partner at a time of increased geopolitical tensions, although the UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has sought investment from China to help meet growth targets. Several prominent British automotive startups have shown promise before crashing into bankruptcy, including the bankrupt van maker Arrival and the failed battery startup Britishvolt. An effort to attract a battery company to Coventry airport has so far failed. Imran Khatri, the co-owner of Volklec along with his brother, Sameer, was previously an investor in Britishvolt. Popham said Volklec would learn from other companies' mistakes, taking a 'phased' approach that 'takes out as much of the risk as possible'. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion 'Those companies that haven't been successful, it's because they tried to get to our stage three, rather than our stage one,' Popham said. It will use FEB's technology, will bring in its technicians to mirror the manufacturing processes used in China, and will buy materials from its suppliers at the cost available to a larger company. 'The combination of the two [companies] gave us a fast route to market at low risk, at modest investment,' said Popham. 'Battery manufacturing is complex. The engineering is complex. It takes time, and it takes investment,' he added. The first phase will involve making 100 megawatt hours of batteries on UKBIC's existing lines, before using spare space to produce another 1GWh of batteries there by the end of 2026. That 'springboard into a gigafactory' will cost about £100m, with £20m committed from the Khatris, Popham said. The 10GWh phase would take about £1bn in investment, and at least five years.
