Latest news with #tacklegame
ABC News
10-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
From childhood games to public spectacle, running it straight has taken a deadly turn
A New Zealand teenager has died from serious head injuries after taking part in what New Zealand police described as a "tackle game" based on the viral social media trend run it straight. What started as a childhood backyard pastime has grown into large-scale events attracting crowds, influencers, and prize money up to $200,000. As this trend spreads, concerns are growing about the risks of brain injuries and the intense pressure on young men to prove themselves. This Pacific Pulse special explores the cultural roots of run it straight, the rising dangers, and calls for greater awareness. Lefaoali'i Dr Dion Enari is a Samoan academic and Associate Professor at Unitec in Aotearoa, New Zealand within Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre. Dr Andrew Affleck is a medical scientist and Brain Bank Manager at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia. Onehunga Mata'uiau is a former Manu Samoa rugby player and coach who leads a rugby academy focused on developing young players' skills with an emphasis on safety. Shenei Penaia is a mental health worker and advocate based in Naarm, Melbourne, Australia.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Zealand teenager dies after tackle game linked to viral Run It Straight challenge
A New Zealand teenager has died after playing a tackling game, believed to have been inspired by a controversial new high impact collision sport trending on social media. Police confirmed the 19-year-old died in hospital on Monday night after he suffered a critical head injury while playing a tackle game with friends in the North Island city Palmerston North on Sunday. 'This young man's death is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts are with his family and friends,' Inspector Ross Grantham said. 'The tackle game … was based on a social media-driven trend, where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear,' he said. Media reports inside New Zealand linked the game to the Run It Straight challenge. The challenge has been gaining traction on social media over recent weeks, with videos on TikTok and Instagram of mostly men running at full-speed into one another clocking up tens of millions of views. '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,' Grantham said. The tragedy follows a championship Run It Straight event hosted in Auckland last week, which resulted in two men retiring due to head injuries. One of the men appeared to have a seizure, RNZ reported. The event's organisers, RUNIT promotes the sport on its website as 'the world's fiercest new collision sport' which rewards 'strength and grit'. More than 1000 people turned up to watch eight men compete for $20,000 prize money, with the winners heading to a final competition next month, to compete for $250,000. In a statement to the Guardian, RUNIT said the teenager's death was tragic. '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. It said its events screen participants, have strict guidelines around how and where to tackle, conduct medical assessments before and after the competition and have medical staff on hand. 'We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions'. Melanie Bussey, a professor in the school of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at University of Otago said Run It-style tackles can increase the likelihood of serious brain trauma. Sports associations and governing bodies were working hard to improve the welfare of players and reduce preventable injuries, and the introduction of a high-risk sport seem 'not only counterproductive but deeply concerning', she said. Patria Hume, a Human Performance professor at AUT warned the public about the risk of injury and death from playing the sport. '[The] death was preventable,' she said. 'We need people to stop participating in activities where the intention is to hurt someone.'
