Latest news with #RunitChampionshipLeague
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
New Zealand Rugby issue statement after teenager dies in 'freak accident' during game
New Zealand Rugby issue statement after teenager dies in 'freak accident' during game The 19-year-old died in hospital after suffering a 'serious head injury' New Zealand Rugby have stepped in following the death of Ryan Satterthwaite (Image: Clive Rose - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images ) New Zealand Rugby have issued a statement after a teenager died in what his family says was a "freak accident" while playing a rugby-style tackling game. Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, died in hospital on Monday after suffering a "serious head injury" while playing a game of 'run it straight' with friends in the city of Palmerston North. The game - which has recently gone viral online - sees two players, one with a ball and the other the tackler, charge at each other at full speed with no protective gear, in order to try and knock each other down. While it has been played casually in Australia and New Zealand for years, videos of the game have recently clocked up tens of millions of views on TikTok and Instagram and has been endorsed by some professional rugby players. Official tournaments have also been held, with one such event - the Runit Championship League - being held in Auckland earier this month, with a prize of around $20,000 up for grabs. Now, New Zealand Rugby have stepped in to not only extend its condolences to Mr Satterthwaite, but urge others not to take part in the viral challenge. 'New Zealand Rugby extends heartfelt condolences to Ryan Satterthwaite's whānau and community,' a statement from the governing body read. 'We urge people not to take part in Run It Straight games or competitions as they carry significant risk of serious injury. 'Those wanting to play contact sports should register for a school or club team and learn in a controlled and safe environment how to tackle safely and the art of evasion.' All Blacks star Ardie Savea has admitted that he used to play the game with his brother growing up, but has urged those considering taking part in the challenge to "be safe". '(My message) first and foremost is condolences to the young brother that passed away and his family. It's never nice hearing that, obviously,' he told reporters. 'I just obviously don't want anyone getting hurt and losing lives. I'm just encouraging everyone to be safe and condolences to our brother and his family.' 'It's a tough one. I don't know the precautions they take in terms of the head side of things and you can see the other side and understand why they're doing it and whatnot," Savea added. 'It's hard because it's kind of made me the rugby player I am – I used to do run it straights in the backyard with Bus (his brother Julian) – so you kind of see both sides." Mr Satterthwaite's uncle, Peter Satterthwaite, told the Herald that his rugby player nephew was a "top kid" who 'would do anything for anybody" as he paid tribute to him. 'Pleasant and polite, one of those kids that would open the door for you, say please and thank you - and it's hard to come by on some of the teenagers these days,' he said. '[He and his friends] knew about the game, thought it'd be good fun to play. It was just a freak accident and he hit his head. 'They got concerned for he was conscious at the start, and he was talking to his friends, and then he just, as such, started going downhill," he added. Article continues below In a statement made earlier this week, Manawatu Area Commander Inspector and police spokesperson Ross Grantham said: 'This young man's death is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts are with his family and friends. 'The tackle game … was based on a social media-driven trend, where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear. "While this was an impromptu game among friends, not a planned event, this tragic outcome does highlight the inherent safety concerns with such an activity."
1News
4 days ago
- Sport
- 1News
Ryan Satterthwaite's family urge people not to take part in viral tackle game
The family of a 19-year-old who died after playing an impromptu tackle game based off a competition popularised on social media is urging people not to take part in the events. Ryan Satterthwaite suffered a serious head injury while playing a game based on the controversial craze with friends in Palmerston North. He died in hospital on Monday night. Events, where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear, had gone viral on social media and raised concerns about concussion and brain injury. Pete Satterthwaite, Ryan's uncle, told 1News that Ryan and his friends were looking for "harmless fun" when they decided to play the game. "Something tragic has eventuated from it," he said. Pete said the events Ryan and his friends were imitating were 'utter stupidity'. ADVERTISEMENT Ryan Satterthwaite, 19. (Source: 'Don't do it, it's utter stupidity. It seems like a bit of harmless fun, and as a teenager, I probably would have been doing the same thing with my friends, but no one gives any thought to the consequences," he said. 'They can have all of the medical supervision they like. They can have all the tackling practice that they like, but nothing is going to prevent serious injuries from happening." Pete said Ryan's family wanted people to know that run it style games were unsafe. 'The ultimate goal is to hurt the person in front of you, run over the top of them to achieve your goal, and if you're doing it for money, no one is going to be thinking about the consequences of your actions. 'You're leading with your body, you're leading with your shoulder, you're leading with your head. 'If you're a rugby player or a league player, you get the opportunity to run around somebody, your body is conditioned to take the tackles, to do those sorts of things. I don't know what the organisers were thinking when they thought we could put it in a controlled environment.' ADVERTISEMENT A man takes a tackle while participating in an Auckland RUNIT event. (Source: Photosport) He said that even with disclaimers not to try the game at home, its viral nature meant people would always recreate what they saw. "Someone is going to try this at home or at the beach, in the backyard, or at a park. Someone's gonna do this, someone's gonna get seriously hurt. Ultimately, Ryan has paid the ultimate price." Following the 19-year-old's death, tributes have been flowing for Ryan. 'The support from his family and all his friends, I mean, was amazing. And just to see the amount of young people at the hospital giving the family support, giving Ryan support, blew me away," Pete said. Two 'trials' were held in west Auckland recently as part of the Australia-based Runit Championship League competition. A prize of $200,000 was advertised for the winner of the final. ADVERTISEMENT Trusts Arena has since said it will not host any more events following safety concerns. 'There is no way to do this safely' – advocate Stacey Mowbray of Headway said Ryan Satterthwaite's death was an 'absolute tragedy' but wasn't surprised it happened. (Source: 1News) Stacey Mowbray, chief executive of brain injury support group Headway, called Satterthwaite's death an 'absolute tragedy', but wasn't surprised it happened. She called the activity 'dangerous by design', and said it was 'glamorised, glorified, intentional violence'. 'There is no way to do this safely." She blasted the organisers of the Run It Straight events. ADVERTISEMENT 'I know the organisers are saying that they're doing it under controls, but when you're asking two people to intentionally clash at each other, there's no way to do it safely. 'This death is on them. It's shocking. The idea that they have any protocols that protect people from this type of impact is not true. Whether it's done in 'controlled' environments or in the backyard, it makes no difference. 'They knew people were going to copy, that's part of what makes a social media trend go viral, which is what they wanted.' She called on athletes and others who were influential in the space to speak out against the events. 'Their voices are the ones that our young people are going to be listening to.' A man takes a tackle while participating in an Auckland RUNIT event. (Source: Photosport) Pete Satterthwaite expressed similar feelings. ADVERTISEMENT 'I am hoping that out of this, we'll get some All Blacks, some rugby league players to stand up and express what a dumb idea that this particular game is,' he said. Mowbray said the activity carried a risk of 'immediate brain injury' or death for the participants. Headway also had concerns about concussion. 'You don't need to be knocked out to be concussed. On the night we saw knockouts, we saw wobbly legs, but you can have delayed symptoms for days, up to weeks. 'We just want to highlight that's not the only risk.' She said it was upsetting that the activity was being compared to sports like rugby and rugby league. 'It is not the same. 'Of course, there are risks in contact sport, but these sporting organisations and codes have done a huge amount of work responding to the research over many years to try to reduce the risk.' ADVERTISEMENT In a statement to 1News yesterday, RUNIT, the organisers of the Runit Championship League events, called Satterthwaite's death "tragic news". "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Ryan. "Any contact sport like boxing, martial arts or combat-style activities should only be held in highly controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support." It said all RUNIT events followed established protocols, which included the screening of participants for suitability, strict guidelines around where and how to tackle (between the shoulders and hips only), as well as having medical support and assessments both during and after competition. "We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions outlined above in sanctioned RUNIT events."
Wales Online
4 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Teenager dies from 'serious head injury' after playing viral rugby-style tackle game
Teenager dies from 'serious head injury' after playing viral rugby-style tackle game The game has recently soared in popularity on social media and has been endorsed by some professional rugby players The teenager died after playing 'run it straight' with friends in Palmerston North, New Zealand (Image: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images ) A teenager has died after suffering a "serious head injury" while playing a rugby-style tackling game popular on social media, police have confirmed. The 19-year-old from New Zealand - identified in local media as Ryan Satterthwaite - passed away in hospital on Monday, having played a game of 'run it straight' with friends in the city of Palmerston North the day before. The game sees two players, one with a ball and the other the tackler, charge at each other with no protective gear in order to recreate the high-impact collisions seen in rugby and knock each other down. While it has been played casually in Australia and New Zealand for years, 'run it straight' has recently become a viral challenge online, with videos of people running at full speed into one another clocking up tens of millions of views on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In a statement, Manawatu Area Commander Inspector and police spokesperson Ross Grantham said: 'This young man's death is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts are with his family and friends. 'The tackle game … was based on a social media-driven trend, where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear. "While this was an impromptu game among friends, not a planned event, this tragic outcome does highlight the inherent safety concerns with such an activity," Inspector Grantham added. Article continues below "We would urge anyone thinking about taking part in a game or event like this to consider the significant safety and injury risk." Despite critics warning that it could lead to head trauma and brain injury, the game has not just taken off online but has also been endorsed by some professional rugby players and has led to tournaments being held. Last week, one such event - Runit Championship League - was held in Auckland, having being first held in Australia in March, with a prize of around $20,000 up for grabs. The event saw two men retire from the competition due to head injuries, with videos showing one of them appearing to have a seizure following a collision, according to Radio New Zealand. Tournament organisers RUNIT promotes the game as "the world's fiercest new collision sport" with "strength and grit" being rewarded. A Runit Championship League final had been planned to be held in Auckland with a reported $200,000 prize on the line, but the Trust Arena - where the 'trials' had already taken place' now says it will not host the event. 'The initial Runit trials were held at the Trusts Arena, but a contract had not been signed in relation to hosting the final event,' said the stadium's general manager of community engagement Lynette Adams. 'Following the trials, it was clear from commentary that there was overwhelming concern for the high-risk nature of the event. Safety of all participants at our venue is paramount and this activity presented safety considerations that we could not overlook. 'We therefore made the decision not to allow any further Runit events at our venue and the event promoter was advised accordingly last week." Article continues below In a statement issued to the Guardian, RUNIT said the 19-year-old's death was tragic and said it did "not encourage any copying of the sport", adding that its events involve participant screening, medical assessments and strict guidelines on how and where to tackle. 'Any contact sport like boxing, martial arts or combat-style activities should only be held in highly controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support,' it said. 'We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions.'
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Runit Championship League's $200k Auckland final blocked from major stadium
An Auckland stadium says it will not host the final event of controversial new collision sport 'run it straight', citing the 'overwhelming concern' the trials caused. Australian-based Runit Championship League carried out the trials at West Auckland's Trusts Arena, with a $200,000 cash prize advertised for the winner of the
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Police issue warning as teenager dies in viral sport craze
Police have issued a warning — and sporting bodies are distancing themselves from the craze — following the death of a teenager who died after taking part in the 'runit straight' tackle game. Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries and died on Monday night after playing the 'combat sport' which has already been slammed by medical experts. The name of the game is simple. There is a runner and a tackler and they run at each other at top speed on a 'battlefield' that is 20m x 4m in dimensions. The loser is the one who is knocked out. Former NRL premiership George Burgess has been promoting the sport which has been backed by an Australian-based organisation called the Runit Championship League. The sporting trend has gathered a large social media following across and Australia and New Zealand but participants are being cautioned after Satterthwaite's tragic death. Police Manawatū area commander Inspector Ross Grantham said Satterthwaite (from Palmerston North on New Zealand's North Island) had taken part in an impromptu version of the game and called he death an 'absolute tragedy'. Ryan Satterthwaite tragically died while taking part in the 'run it' tackle trend. Credit: Instagram 'This young man's death is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts are with his family and friends,' Grantham said. 'The tackle game played by the group of friends was based on a social media-driven trend, where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear. 'We would urge anyone thinking about taking part in a game or event like this to consider the significant safety and injury risks. 'While this is not a criminal matter, police will continue to undertake inquiries on behalf of the coroner.' The death comes after two men were knocked unconscious and required medical attention during a Last week at a Run It Straight tournament at Auckland's Trust Arena one man was KO'd and another was also knocked out and appeared to have a seizure as they competed for an $18,500 cash prize. Runit Championship League issued a statement after the teenager's death. 'Any contact sport like boxing, martial arts or combat-style activities should only be held in highly controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support,' a spokesperson said. 'All RUNIT events follow established protocols including screening of participants for suitability, strict guidelines around where and how to tackle (between the shoulders and hips only), with qualified medical support and medical assessments conducted both during and after competition. 'We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions outlined above in sanctioned RUNIT events.' New Zealand Rugby has already distanced itself from the craze, saying it 'carried significant risk of serious injury'. Several health experts have slammed the sport. Injury prevention expert Professor Patria Hume said: 'It is very clear from the number of concussions from the small number of 'running at each other events' that have occurred, that this is going to result in death. 'Unfortunately it takes a death to make people take notice and to stop these high injury risk activities. Previously Hume said it was a 'reckless and dangerous spectacle' and 'a step backwards' in safety in 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,' she said. After Satterthwaite's death, top sports neuroscientist Dr Alan Pearce a loss of life was sadly inevitable. 'This was a matter of time, really, as sad as that is to say,' Dr Pearce told News Corp. 'The concern is that this can happen at any level. Even in the sanctioned Run It events, someone will probably die in that at some point as well. 'It can't be done safely and when there's kids and teens that see it, they like to copy what they see online, and this is something that absolutely not should be copied. 'It is the biggest 'please do not try this at home' disclaimer, if I've ever seen one'.
