Latest news with #collisionSport
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Sonny Bill Williams apologises for posting video about a new viral collision sport - following a 19-year-old's tragic death
Former All Blacks player Sonny Bill Williams has apologised after he published a video on Instagram appearing to show support for a new viral collision sport. 'Run it straight' is a game that challenges two participants to run straight into each other and compete in full-contact collisions. Players win by either tackling an opponent to the floor or by successfully breaking through the tackle as a ball carrier. Last week, a 19-year-old man tragically died after participating in a private game of 'run it straight' with friends in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Ryan Satterthwaite is understood to have suffered a 'serious head injury' and later died in hospital. His uncle also told Stuff that Satterthwaite and his friends were inspired to try the sport after seeing it on social media. Run it straight events have become popular in recent years for their big collisions (pictured) but health experts and government officials have issued concerns over the sport's safety Multiple health professionals have also raised concerns over the dangers of the sport while some 'run it straight' events in New Zealand have been cancelled. Last week, Williams, who played both rugby union and league during his career, shared a clip from his playing days with Canterbury in 2004 on social media. In the video, the former footy player was seen colliding with Penrith's Joel Clinton during a match. He captioned the video 'old school what a hit'. He added: 'Playing run it straight before it was called run it straight.' Williams has since taken to social media to apologise for his comments upon learning of Satterthwaite's passing. 'I put a video up last night, and I just want to ask for forgiveness of the young fulla that passed away,' Williams said on his social media account. 'Please excuse me for my insensitivity. I did not know that had happened. 'I want to talk about it for a second right now. 'I've been asked to collab with the Run it Straight people, or a couple of people and I haven't. 'Simply because I wouldn't put my kids in it. 'I have safety concerns and that's just my thoughts on it.' Williams believes the sport will continue to be played and added the changes he'd like to see implemented to ensure the safety of participants. 'I'd like weight classes and rules around head contact, but also age and experience classes as well,' he said. 'It's gonna carry on, because people love it. It's entertainment. But I'd like to see some heavily controlled safety restrictions come in. 'Once again to the family, my love and regards go out to you guys.' Some run it straight events that were due to take place in New Zealand have been cancelled in recent weeks Another former All Blacks star Ardie Savea has also spoken out on the new sport, encouraging people to be safe, but like Williams, believes run it straight events will continue. 'First and foremost, condolences to the young brother that passed away and his family,' the former World Rugby Player of the Year said. 'I obviously don't want anyone getting hurt and losing lives. 'It's really hard to say, but I'd just encourage people to be safe.' Organisers of the RUNIT Championship, one of the sport's most high-profile competitions, have also spoken out following Satterthwaite's passing. 'We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be performed under strict conditions,' a spokesperson from the RUNIT Championship told Code Sports. Both New Zealand Rugby League and New Zealand Rugby have been forced to distance themselves from the trend and events 'RUNIT is planning future events over the coming months and will continue to educate our followers on the risks associated.' A safety spokesperson for the RUNIT Championship, Billy Coffey, has previously told RNZ that the competition has several safety precautions in place, to reduce the risks associated with the sport. Competitors are required to wear gumshields and head gear is also optional. 'We've got an ambulance on site… We've got liability. Everything's covered,' RUNIT safety spokesperson Billy Coffey told RNZ. 'There's waivers, medicals beforehand, medicals after. There's an ambulance on site.' Earlier in May, an event, which was being organised by RunItStraight24 at Auckland's Williams Park Mangere was postponed. It comes as the New Zealand government have raised concerns over the safety risks the sport presents and are seeking advice on the matter. Sport NZ CEO Raelene Castle told The New Zealand Herald: 'Both Sport NZ and High-Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ) are committed to fostering safe and inclusive activities and events for all New Zealanders. 'We are working to facilitate a cross-agency discussion with those who have an interest in this area on what a Government approach to the operation of combat sport, including the emergence of activities and events like run it straight, in New Zealand could look like.' Sport and Recreation Minister Mark Mitchell said: 'I have made my concerns clear and have asked officials for advice in terms of what powers and actions can be taken by the Government to respond to unregulated activities and events that pose a significant level of risk.' New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also urged young adults to take heed of the safety advice being issued by medical professionals. 'When it's happening at a 21st birthday party unofficially, that is not something the Government can solve through legislation or through regulation,' Luxon said. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has expressed his concerns over the sport, which has grown in popularity following its explosion on social media 'All I can say to young adults who are participating is you've got some personal responsibility in this. You're hearing the advice from the police, from the medical fraternity, from the Government, from principals saying don't do it. 'To the adults that are involved in more formal organisation of it and are influencing it and leading this out on social media; I think you need to stop and I can't be any clearer. 'The evidence is that it's a dumb thing to do and you should stop.' Dr Rowena Mobbs, a neurologist and the founder and director of the Australian CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) Biobank, told Daily Mail Australia that the sport poses 'higher risk scenarios' compared to other contact sports. 'It is a form of harm and it should be avoided,' she said. 'What we have is data worldwide in terms of concussion and CTE with tackling environments. 'We know that a single traumatic brain injury can be devastating for an individual, leading to lifelong disability or death in some instances. This is likely to involve brain swelling or bleeding.' 'In my opinion, this is a higher risk scenario than contact sports like the football codes,' she said. 'That's because participants are running at full speed towards each other with a much greater force of impact than on the footy field. 'Parents who have children engaging in this form of harm need to be acutely aware that there could be serious consequences, even death.' New Zealand Rugby League have since echoed the warnings before distancing themselves from the sport.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A teenager died taking part in this latest internet craze. Here's why a leading brain doctor believes every parent needs to be warned
Australia's leading brain injury expert says an internet craze labelled 'the world's fiercest new collision sport' and which has already killed a teenager is more dangerous than traditional football codes. Run It Straight is a challenge that's gaining popularity with millions of social media users sharing videos of people smashing into each other. The tackle game features two players and involves a ball runner and a tackler standing 20m apart before they run full speed towards each other without protective gear. The aim is to knock the opponent over. It has even been endorsed by some professional rugby players despite warnings that it could give players head trauma and a brain injury. A Run It Straight event was recently hosted in Auckland, with organisers promoting it as 'the world's fiercest new collision sport,' which rewarded 'strength and grit'. More than 1,000 people watched eight men compete for a $20,000 prize. Winners of that competition were supposed to go to Auckland's Trust Arena for a final competition to compete for $250,000. But the stadium canned the event due to the 'overwhelming concern' the trials caused. 'Following the trials, it was clear from commentary that there was overwhelming concern for the high-risk nature of the event,' the arena's general manager said. A 19-year-old from New Zealand died on Monday after suffering a serious head injury in a backyard version of Run It Straight. Ryan Satterthwaite, from Palmerston North, passed away after taking part in the full-contact collision game with friends when the injury occurred. The death sparked renewed calls for the game to be banned. Dr Rowena Mobbs is a neurologist and the founder and director of the Australian CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) Biobank. She slammed the new craze and told Daily Mail Australia that it was 'not a sport'. 'It is a form of harm and it should be avoided,' she said. 'What we have is data worldwide in terms of concussion and CTE with tackling environments. 'We know that a single traumatic brain injury can be devastating for an individual, leading to lifelong disability or death in some instances. This is likely to involve brain swelling or bleeding.' Dr Mobbs said Run It Straight was even more dangerous than rugby league or Aussie Rules in terms of the brain injury risk. 'In my opinion this is a higher risk scenario than contact sports like the football codes,' she said. 'That's because participants are running at full speed towards each other with a much greater force of impact than on the footy field. 'Parents who have children engaging in this form of harm need to be acutely aware that there could be serous consequences, even death.' Participants of Run It Straight aren't supposed to hit each other in the head but even body shots can impact the brain. Dr Mobbs said whiplash was associated with brain injury. 'In boxing, people sign up knowing the head will be hit, but not in Run It Straight,' she said. Dr Mobbs also said simple concussions were more dangerous and debilitating than most people thought. 'We used to believe that the majority of concussions would resolve pretty quickly but the increasing data suggests otherwise,' she said.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Teen's death sparks calls to ban viral head-on tackle game inspired by American football's biggest hits
A burgeoning new sporting trend inspired by the biggest and hardest full contact hits in American football and rugby has proved deadly, and there's now calls for it to be banned. Branded by an organized league as 'the world's fiercest, new collision sport,' Run It Straight games see two people sprint directly towards each other for a high-impact collision, with no protective gear. Whoever dominates wins. Tens of thousands of dollars are offered up as prize money in organized events in New Zealand and Australia and the game has become a social media craze with teenagers trying it out at home, with fatal consequences. Ryan Satterthwaite died in hospital on Monday after a backyard challenge went tragically wrong in the small city of Palmerston North. New Zealand Police said the 19-year-old suffered a serious head injury. His uncle, Pete Satterthwaite, told CNN affiliate RNZ that Ryan was at a friend's birthday party on Saturday and decided to play a round of the game that's become so popular in New Zealand. Pete Satterthwaite said when he saw local news reports about Run It, he thought the game was a 'stupid idea' and instinctively knew that 'someone is going to get seriously hurt.' He just wasn't expecting it to be his own nephew. 'The ultimate aim is to hurt your opponent, run over the top of him … you're leading with your shoulder, leading with your head,' he said. 'Regardless of whether they have medical staff on site and everybody has a test, it's still the most stupid thing I've ever seen.' New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged people not to take part in the tackling game, calling it a 'dumb thing to do.' 'You're hearing the advice from police, from the medical fraternity, from government, from principals saying don't do it,' Luxon told local media on Friday, adding that organizers of formal events should stop them. 'To the adults that are involved in more formal organization of it and are influencing it and leading this out on social media, I think you need to stop and I can't be any clearer,' Luxon said. Following calls for the tackling game to be banned, New Zealand's sport minister Mark Mitchell said on Friday he had sought advice on what measures the government can take to crack down on what he labelled 'unregulated activities that pose a significant level of risk.' The Run It Straight game combines elements of American football and rugby – two sports that have tackling in common but with distinct rules to protect players. Footballers wear a helmet and thick padding to withstand high-impact tackles on the whole body except the head and knees. Rugby players take the field without helmets and with no, or little, padding, while tackles are only allowed below the shoulders. The new game has been popularized in part by by a company called RUNIT Championship League, which says the game was 'born to go viral' and claims to have 'taken social media by storm with tens of millions of views.' CEO and owner Charizma, whose real name is Christian Lesa, says the concept started when he was hospitalized and struggling with mental health, according to an interview with Australian public broadcaster ABC. Lesa said he was inspired by YouTuber Donald De La Haye, nicknamed 'Deestroying,' a Costa Rican-American professional football player who would pit players 1-on-1 for viral clicks. He replicated the concept in Australia and the tournament-like event has spread across New Zealand and the Pacific islands. As followers and subscribers grew on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, RUNIT began hosting championships where participants bull run into each other and the last one standing takes home a cash prize. The finals of the RUNIT league were scheduled in June with 200,000 New Zealand dollars (around $118,800) up for grabs. Run It Straight-type collisions are more than five times the force of a rugby tackle, according to Professor Patria Hume from Auckland University of Technology, who warned there was a high risk of brain injury or death. 'Ryan's death was preventable. It was a backyard copycat of the Runit events which have been designed for social media impact,' Hume said. 'Runit lacks the structure, safety protocols, and purpose of traditional sports. While rugby, boxing, and MMA are inherently physical, they are governed by rules designed to minimize harm and protect athletes.' Stacey Mowbray, CEO of brain injury organization Headway, told CNN the trending game is not a sport, adding it's 'just reckless, glorified violence.' 'We raised the alarm in New Zealand when we heard about the Run It Straight challenge, warning of the high risk of brain injury or death. Social media was used to target our young with a message that this was a bit of fun. It is not. It is deadly,' Mowbray told CNN. 'It's not about the head hitting the ground, it's the impact,' she said. A RUNIT Championship League spokesperson said in a statement that it does not encourage 'any copying of the sport' saying it should only be done under 'strict conditions.' '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 during and after competition,' they told CNN. Alarm bells had already been ringing about the game before the death of Ryan Satterthwaite. Two men were knocked unconscious, with one of them going into a seizure, during a Runit league event at Auckland's Trusts Arena last week. Lynette Adams, interim CEO of the Trusts Arena, told CNN in a statement that 'there has been overwhelming concern for the high-risk nature of Runit style events.' 'Safety of all participants at our venue is paramount and we therefore made the decision not to allow any future Runit events to take place at The Trusts Arena.' High-contact sports like rugby and rugby league are hugely popular in New Zealand and the death of Satterthwaite has put pressure on sporting bodies to take a stronger stance on the Run It Straight trend. New Zealand Rugby issued a statement warning 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,' the statement said. A number of New Zealand schools have moved to ban students from playing the game on school grounds and it has also been banned from some public parks in the country's biggest city, Auckland, by a local council board. David Bovey, rector of Palmerston North Boys' High School which Ryan Satterthwaite attended several years ago, said he had been planning to warn his students about the risks of playing Run It Straight on campus before he heard about Ryan's death. 'It's an absolute tragedy… you can almost say something like this was almost going to happen,' Bovey told RNZ, adding he received the news just 20 minutes before he was due to address the students on Monday. 'Teenage boys are terrible at thinking about consequences and they never think anything is going to happen to them and so, you know, something like this I think really hit home in terms of the message we are trying to give the boys – 'this is something I shouldn't be doing.''
CNN
4 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Teen's death sparks calls to ban viral head-on tackle game inspired by American football's biggest hits
A burgeoning new sporting trend inspired by the biggest and hardest full contact hits in American football and rugby has proved deadly, and there's now calls for it to be banned. Branded by an organized league as 'the world's fiercest, new collision sport,' Run It Straight games see two people sprint directly towards each other for a high-impact collision, with no protective gear. Whoever dominates wins. Tens of thousands of dollars are offered up as prize money in organized events in New Zealand and Australia and the game has become a social media craze with teenagers trying it out at home, with fatal consequences. Ryan Satterthwaite died in hospital on Monday after a backyard challenge went tragically wrong in the small city of Palmerston North. New Zealand Police said the 19-year-old suffered a serious head injury. His uncle, Pete Satterthwaite, told CNN affiliate RNZ that Ryan was at a friend's birthday party on Saturday and decided to play a round of the game that's become so popular in New Zealand. Pete Satterthwaite said when he saw local news reports about Run It, he thought the game was a 'stupid idea' and instinctively knew that 'someone is going to get seriously hurt.' He just wasn't expecting it to be his own nephew. 'The ultimate aim is to hurt your opponent, run over the top of him … you're leading with your shoulder, leading with your head,' he said. 'Regardless of whether they have medical staff on site and everybody has a test, it's still the most stupid thing I've ever seen.' New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged people not to take part in the tackling game, calling it a 'dumb thing to do.' 'You're hearing the advice from police, from the medical fraternity, from government, from principals saying don't do it,' Luxon told local media on Friday, adding that organizers of formal events should stop them. 'To the adults that are involved in more formal organization of it and are influencing it and leading this out on social media, I think you need to stop and I can't be any clearer,' Luxon said. Following calls for the tackling game to be banned, New Zealand's sport minister Mark Mitchell said on Friday he had sought advice on what measures the government can take to crack down on what he labelled 'unregulated activities that pose a significant level of risk.' The Run It Straight game combines elements of American football and rugby – two sports that have tackling in common but with distinct rules to protect players. Footballers wear a helmet and thick padding to withstand high-impact tackles on the whole body except the head and knees. Rugby players take the field without helmets and with no, or little, padding, while tackles are only allowed below the shoulders. The new game has been popularized in part by by a company called RUNIT Championship League, which says the game was 'born to go viral' and claims to have 'taken social media by storm with tens of millions of views.' CEO and owner Charizma, whose real name is Christian Lesa, says the concept started when he was hospitalized and struggling with mental health, according to an interview with Australian public broadcaster ABC. Lesa said he was inspired by YouTuber Donald De La Haye, nicknamed 'Deestroying,' a Costa Rican-American professional football player who would pit players 1-on-1 for viral clicks. He replicated the concept in Australia and the tournament-like event has spread across New Zealand and the Pacific islands. As followers and subscribers grew on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, RUNIT began hosting championships where participants bull run into each other and the last one standing takes home a cash prize. The finals of the RUNIT league were scheduled in June with 200,000 New Zealand dollars (around $118,800) up for grabs. Run It Straight-type collisions are more than five times the force of a rugby tackle, according to Professor Patria Hume from Auckland University of Technology, who warned there was a high risk of brain injury or death. 'Ryan's death was preventable. It was a backyard copycat of the Runit events which have been designed for social media impact,' Hume said. 'Runit lacks the structure, safety protocols, and purpose of traditional sports. While rugby, boxing, and MMA are inherently physical, they are governed by rules designed to minimize harm and protect athletes.' Stacey Mowbray, CEO of brain injury organization Headway, told CNN the trending game is not a sport, adding it's 'just reckless, glorified violence.' 'We raised the alarm in New Zealand when we heard about the Run It Straight challenge, warning of the high risk of brain injury or death. Social media was used to target our young with a message that this was a bit of fun. It is not. It is deadly,' Mowbray told CNN. 'It's not about the head hitting the ground, it's the impact,' she said. A RUNIT Championship League spokesperson said in a statement that it does not encourage 'any copying of the sport' saying it should only be done under 'strict conditions.' '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 during and after competition,' they told CNN. Alarm bells had already been ringing about the game before the death of Ryan Satterthwaite. Two men were knocked unconscious, with one of them going into a seizure, during a Runit league event at Auckland's Trusts Arena last week. Lynette Adams, interim CEO of the Trusts Arena, told CNN in a statement that 'there has been overwhelming concern for the high-risk nature of Runit style events.' 'Safety of all participants at our venue is paramount and we therefore made the decision not to allow any future Runit events to take place at The Trusts Arena.' High-contact sports like rugby and rugby league are hugely popular in New Zealand and the death of Satterthwaite has put pressure on sporting bodies to take a stronger stance on the Run It Straight trend. New Zealand Rugby issued a statement warning 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,' the statement said. A number of New Zealand schools have moved to ban students from playing the game on school grounds and it has also been banned from some public parks in the country's biggest city, Auckland, by a local council board. David Bovey, rector of Palmerston North Boys' High School which Ryan Satterthwaite attended several years ago, said he had been planning to warn his students about the risks of playing Run It Straight on campus before he heard about Ryan's death. 'It's an absolute tragedy… you can almost say something like this was almost going to happen,' Bovey told RNZ, adding he received the news just 20 minutes before he was due to address the students on Monday. 'Teenage boys are terrible at thinking about consequences and they never think anything is going to happen to them and so, you know, something like this I think really hit home in terms of the message we are trying to give the boys – 'this is something I shouldn't be doing.''
CNN
4 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Teen's death sparks calls to ban viral head-on tackle game inspired by American football's biggest hits
A burgeoning new sporting trend inspired by the biggest and hardest full contact hits in American football and rugby has proved deadly, and there's now calls for it to be banned. Branded by an organized league as 'the world's fiercest, new collision sport,' Run It Straight games see two people sprint directly towards each other for a high-impact collision, with no protective gear. Whoever dominates wins. Tens of thousands of dollars are offered up as prize money in organized events in New Zealand and Australia and the game has become a social media craze with teenagers trying it out at home, with fatal consequences. Ryan Satterthwaite died in hospital on Monday after a backyard challenge went tragically wrong in the small city of Palmerston North. New Zealand Police said the 19-year-old suffered a serious head injury. His uncle, Pete Satterthwaite, told CNN affiliate RNZ that Ryan was at a friend's birthday party on Saturday and decided to play a round of the game that's become so popular in New Zealand. Pete Satterthwaite said when he saw local news reports about Run It, he thought the game was a 'stupid idea' and instinctively knew that 'someone is going to get seriously hurt.' He just wasn't expecting it to be his own nephew. 'The ultimate aim is to hurt your opponent, run over the top of him … you're leading with your shoulder, leading with your head,' he said. 'Regardless of whether they have medical staff on site and everybody has a test, it's still the most stupid thing I've ever seen.' New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged people not to take part in the tackling game, calling it a 'dumb thing to do.' 'You're hearing the advice from police, from the medical fraternity, from government, from principals saying don't do it,' Luxon told local media on Friday, adding that organizers of formal events should stop them. 'To the adults that are involved in more formal organization of it and are influencing it and leading this out on social media, I think you need to stop and I can't be any clearer,' Luxon said. Following calls for the tackling game to be banned, New Zealand's sport minister Mark Mitchell said on Friday he had sought advice on what measures the government can take to crack down on what he labelled 'unregulated activities that pose a significant level of risk.' The Run It Straight game combines elements of American football and rugby – two sports that have tackling in common but with distinct rules to protect players. Footballers wear a helmet and thick padding to withstand high-impact tackles on the whole body except the head and knees. Rugby players take the field without helmets and with no, or little, padding, while tackles are only allowed below the shoulders. The new game has been popularized in part by by a company called RUNIT Championship League, which says the game was 'born to go viral' and claims to have 'taken social media by storm with tens of millions of views.' CEO and owner Charizma, whose real name is Christian Lesa, says the concept started when he was hospitalized and struggling with mental health, according to an interview with Australian public broadcaster ABC. Lesa said he was inspired by YouTuber Donald De La Haye, nicknamed 'Deestroying,' a Costa Rican-American professional football player who would pit players 1-on-1 for viral clicks. He replicated the concept in Australia and the tournament-like event has spread across New Zealand and the Pacific islands. As followers and subscribers grew on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, RUNIT began hosting championships where participants bull run into each other and the last one standing takes home a cash prize. The finals of the RUNIT league were scheduled in June with 200,000 New Zealand dollars (around $118,800) up for grabs. Run It Straight-type collisions are more than five times the force of a rugby tackle, according to Professor Patria Hume from Auckland University of Technology, who warned there was a high risk of brain injury or death. 'Ryan's death was preventable. It was a backyard copycat of the Runit events which have been designed for social media impact,' Hume said. 'Runit lacks the structure, safety protocols, and purpose of traditional sports. While rugby, boxing, and MMA are inherently physical, they are governed by rules designed to minimize harm and protect athletes.' Stacey Mowbray, CEO of brain injury organization Headway, told CNN the trending game is not a sport, adding it's 'just reckless, glorified violence.' 'We raised the alarm in New Zealand when we heard about the Run It Straight challenge, warning of the high risk of brain injury or death. Social media was used to target our young with a message that this was a bit of fun. It is not. It is deadly,' Mowbray told CNN. 'It's not about the head hitting the ground, it's the impact,' she said. A RUNIT Championship League spokesperson said in a statement that it does not encourage 'any copying of the sport' saying it should only be done under 'strict conditions.' '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 during and after competition,' they told CNN. Alarm bells had already been ringing about the game before the death of Ryan Satterthwaite. Two men were knocked unconscious, with one of them going into a seizure, during a Runit league event at Auckland's Trusts Arena last week. Lynette Adams, interim CEO of the Trusts Arena, told CNN in a statement that 'there has been overwhelming concern for the high-risk nature of Runit style events.' 'Safety of all participants at our venue is paramount and we therefore made the decision not to allow any future Runit events to take place at The Trusts Arena.' High-contact sports like rugby and rugby league are hugely popular in New Zealand and the death of Satterthwaite has put pressure on sporting bodies to take a stronger stance on the Run It Straight trend. New Zealand Rugby issued a statement warning 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,' the statement said. A number of New Zealand schools have moved to ban students from playing the game on school grounds and it has also been banned from some public parks in the country's biggest city, Auckland, by a local council board. David Bovey, rector of Palmerston North Boys' High School which Ryan Satterthwaite attended several years ago, said he had been planning to warn his students about the risks of playing Run It Straight on campus before he heard about Ryan's death. 'It's an absolute tragedy… you can almost say something like this was almost going to happen,' Bovey told RNZ, adding he received the news just 20 minutes before he was due to address the students on Monday. 'Teenage boys are terrible at thinking about consequences and they never think anything is going to happen to them and so, you know, something like this I think really hit home in terms of the message we are trying to give the boys – 'this is something I shouldn't be doing.''
