Latest news with #RUNIT
Scoop
20 hours ago
- Health
- Scoop
Teen Dies After Controversial Tackle Game
Press Release – Science Media Centre A teenager has died after suffering a head injury while playing a private 'run it straight-style' tackle game in Palmerston North. It follows on from official RUNIT events taking place in Auckland last week, with a quarter of participants in one event reportedly suffering concussions. The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment. Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie (Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Arawa), Neuroscientist in the Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, comments: 'All unnecessary deaths are tragic, and leave a trail of destruction for whānau and friends. Ngā mihi ki te whānau me ngā hoa o Ryan Satterthwaite. 'Tackle game appears to be the latest version of a gladiator sport – adrenaline-driven risk taking by the gladiators that provides entertainment for those watching. Consequently, there are significant prizes up for grabs for competitors in organised competitions. 'Be cautious! Injury occurs when two people collide running at significant speed. Impact forces damage body tissues. 'Head injuries will occur from direct impact when one person's head collides the other person's head, part of their body or the ground. However, injury will also occur when there is no external impact – through whiplash. Here, when the body stops suddenly, but the head and brain snaps forwards or backwards, the cerebrospinal fluid that normally suspends and cushions the brain cannot prevent it from hitting the skull. This impact within the head tears brain and supporting connective tissues. 'As a consequence, brain function will be altered due to swelling or damage. The brain is bruised and the person is concussed. If the damage or swelling is severe, the person may die unless there is an emergency medical intervention. 'Fans of tackle game competitions enjoy the strengthened sense of community at these events. Connecting, the sense of belonging and forming deep relationships are good for mental health. But there are many other ways to connect and improve mental health without increasing the risk of a brain injury or death for a friend or competitor.' No conflicts of interest. Dr Josh McGeown, Senior Research Fellow – Mātai Medical Research Institute, comments: 'This is an incredibly sad – but unfortunately foreseeable – loss of life. 'While 'Run it Straight' events may superficially appear to resemble rugby or league, they are fundamentally different. In rugby codes, a primary concern is the risk of concussion. Decades of research have focused on understanding the biomechanics, assessment, prevention and rehabilitation of these injuries to reduce the risks. Safeguards like modified rules, medical oversight, proper training, and safe technique are integral to making sport safer. 'The format of 'Run it Straight' disregards these advances in sports medicine by deliberately creating 'battlefield' conditions that maximise the intensity of each collision. From a brain injury perspective, this shifts concerns from risk of concussion – serious in itself – to high risk of catastrophic and immediately life-threatening brain trauma due to skull fractures or brain bleeds. These severe forms of injury are more commonly seen in high-speed crashes than in organised sport. 'The RUNIT League promotes itself as the 'world's fiercest collision sport… built to break limits.' They say it was 'born to go viral.' That's exactly the problem and reflects a broader issue: the role of media in amplifying high-risk behaviour. When these stunts trend online or feature in mainstream reporting, they become socially endorsed. Glorifying violent collisions as entertainment and rewarding domination creates a culture of imitation – especially among young men – with dire consequences. 'This is where the distinction between RUNIT and sports like rugby matters most. In sport, injury is a risk. In RUNIT, injury is the objective. These events are not a test of toughness or resilience. They are deliberately engineered to cause harm for the sake of views and virality.' Conflict of interest statement: 'I have received funding from the New Zealand Rugby Foundation.' Professor Patria Hume, Professor Human Performance, AUT, comments: 'Last week in media interviews I stated that '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'. I also said it unfortunately takes a death to make people take notice and to stop these high injury risk activities. 'This was a back yard copycat of the RunIt events. Ryan's death was preventable. 'The 'King of the Streets' 'event' based on UFC is also a high-risk event. 'We need people to stop participating in activities where the intention is to hurt someone. 'Why is this not considered assault? 'When two 150 kg rugby players collide at full sprint, the impact force can exceed 24,000 Newtons—far greater than a car crash at 30 km/h. These are not just games; they are high-speed collisions with the potential to cause life-altering brain injuries and death. Our biomechanics calculations show that the human body is not built to absorb this level of force repeatedly without consequence. 'The force of an intentional collision between two sprinting players is nearly five times that of a professional boxer's punch and more than twice the force of falling from two meters. These numbers are not just statistics—they represent a serious risk of concussion, fractures, with the potential to cause life-altering brain injuries and death. We must treat these impacts with the same seriousness as we do car crashes.' No conflicts of interest. Professor Melanie Bussey, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, comments: 'The 'Run it Straight' event involves players tackling one another head-on at full run-up speed, a format that raises serious safety concerns. Current research is in agreement that front-on, upright tackles carry a significantly higher risk of concussions and neck injury. Moreover, our recent instrumented mouthguard research confirms that these tackles result in significantly higher head acceleration outcomes, which increases the likelihood of serious brain trauma. Objectively, this style of contact is among the highest-risk in sport when it comes to head and neck injury. 'At a time when player associations and governing bodies, across various sporting codes, are working hard to improve player welfare and reduce preventable injuries, the introduction of such a high-risk event seems not only counterproductive but deeply concerning.' Conflict of interest statement: 'My research has been funded by World Rugby as well as the NZ rugby foundation, I have working relationships with Prevent Biometrics and New Zealand Rugby both through my own research work and the work of my students.'
Scoop
a day ago
- Health
- Scoop
Teen Dies After Controversial Tackle Game
A teenager has died after suffering a head injury while playing a private 'run it straight-style' tackle game in Palmerston North. It follows on from official RUNIT events taking place in Auckland last week, with a quarter of participants in one event reportedly suffering concussions. The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment. Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie (Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Arawa), Neuroscientist in the Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, comments: 'All unnecessary deaths are tragic, and leave a trail of destruction for whānau and friends. Ngā mihi ki te whānau me ngā hoa o Ryan Satterthwaite. 'Tackle game appears to be the latest version of a gladiator sport – adrenaline-driven risk taking by the gladiators that provides entertainment for those watching. Consequently, there are significant prizes up for grabs for competitors in organised competitions. 'Be cautious! Injury occurs when two people collide running at significant speed. Impact forces damage body tissues. 'Head injuries will occur from direct impact when one person's head collides the other person's head, part of their body or the ground. However, injury will also occur when there is no external impact – through whiplash. Here, when the body stops suddenly, but the head and brain snaps forwards or backwards, the cerebrospinal fluid that normally suspends and cushions the brain cannot prevent it from hitting the skull. This impact within the head tears brain and supporting connective tissues. 'As a consequence, brain function will be altered due to swelling or damage. The brain is bruised and the person is concussed. If the damage or swelling is severe, the person may die unless there is an emergency medical intervention. 'Fans of tackle game competitions enjoy the strengthened sense of community at these events. Connecting, the sense of belonging and forming deep relationships are good for mental health. But there are many other ways to connect and improve mental health without increasing the risk of a brain injury or death for a friend or competitor.' No conflicts of interest. Dr Josh McGeown, Senior Research Fellow – Mātai Medical Research Institute, comments: 'This is an incredibly sad – but unfortunately foreseeable – loss of life. 'While 'Run it Straight' events may superficially appear to resemble rugby or league, they are fundamentally different. In rugby codes, a primary concern is the risk of concussion. Decades of research have focused on understanding the biomechanics, assessment, prevention and rehabilitation of these injuries to reduce the risks. Safeguards like modified rules, medical oversight, proper training, and safe technique are integral to making sport safer. 'The format of 'Run it Straight' disregards these advances in sports medicine by deliberately creating 'battlefield' conditions that maximise the intensity of each collision. From a brain injury perspective, this shifts concerns from risk of concussion – serious in itself – to high risk of catastrophic and immediately life-threatening brain trauma due to skull fractures or brain bleeds. These severe forms of injury are more commonly seen in high-speed crashes than in organised sport. 'The RUNIT League promotes itself as the 'world's fiercest collision sport… built to break limits.' They say it was 'born to go viral.' That's exactly the problem and reflects a broader issue: the role of media in amplifying high-risk behaviour. When these stunts trend online or feature in mainstream reporting, they become socially endorsed. Glorifying violent collisions as entertainment and rewarding domination creates a culture of imitation – especially among young men – with dire consequences. 'This is where the distinction between RUNIT and sports like rugby matters most. In sport, injury is a risk. In RUNIT, injury is the objective. These events are not a test of toughness or resilience. They are deliberately engineered to cause harm for the sake of views and virality.' Conflict of interest statement: 'I have received funding from the New Zealand Rugby Foundation.' Professor Patria Hume, Professor Human Performance, AUT, comments: 'Last week in media interviews I stated that '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'. I also said it unfortunately takes a death to make people take notice and to stop these high injury risk activities. 'This was a back yard copycat of the RunIt events. Ryan's death was preventable. 'The 'King of the Streets' 'event' based on UFC is also a high-risk event. 'We need people to stop participating in activities where the intention is to hurt someone. 'Why is this not considered assault? 'When two 150 kg rugby players collide at full sprint, the impact force can exceed 24,000 Newtons—far greater than a car crash at 30 km/h. These are not just games; they are high-speed collisions with the potential to cause life-altering brain injuries and death. Our biomechanics calculations show that the human body is not built to absorb this level of force repeatedly without consequence. 'The force of an intentional collision between two sprinting players is nearly five times that of a professional boxer's punch and more than twice the force of falling from two meters. These numbers are not just statistics—they represent a serious risk of concussion, fractures, with the potential to cause life-altering brain injuries and death. We must treat these impacts with the same seriousness as we do car crashes.' No conflicts of interest. Professor Melanie Bussey, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, comments: 'The 'Run it Straight' event involves players tackling one another head-on at full run-up speed, a format that raises serious safety concerns. Current research is in agreement that front-on, upright tackles carry a significantly higher risk of concussions and neck injury. Moreover, our recent instrumented mouthguard research confirms that these tackles result in significantly higher head acceleration outcomes, which increases the likelihood of serious brain trauma. Objectively, this style of contact is among the highest-risk in sport when it comes to head and neck injury. 'At a time when player associations and governing bodies, across various sporting codes, are working hard to improve player welfare and reduce preventable injuries, the introduction of such a high-risk event seems not only counterproductive but deeply concerning.' Conflict of interest statement: 'My research has been funded by World Rugby as well as the NZ rugby foundation, I have working relationships with Prevent Biometrics and New Zealand Rugby both through my own research work and the work of my students.'
1News
a day 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."
Rhyl Journal
a day ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
New Zealand teenager dies imitating collision ‘sport' trending on social media
Ryan Satterthwaite suffered a head injury on Sunday while playing a backyard game with friends in the North Island city of Palmerston North, police said. He died on Monday as a result of his injuries. Area police commander Inspector Ross Grantham described Mr Satterthwaite's death as 'a huge tragedy' and urged others to 'consider the significant safety and injury risks' of the game which is known as RUNIT or RUNIT Straight. 'A young man lost his life as a result of participating in what I understand to be a social media frenzy,' Mr Grantham said. 'While this is not a criminal matter, police will continue to undertake inquiries on behalf of the coroner.' Mr 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'. '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,' he added. RUNIT is based loosely on the contact elements of rugby union, rugby league or the NFL and involves two competitors, a runner and a tackler, running at each other and colliding on a 20-metre by four-metre (65ft by 13ft) area known as a battlefield. Organisers have promoted the event as 'the world's fiercest new collision sport'. The game has grown in social media popularity through the Australian RUNIT Championship League which offers cash prizes to competitors. Two trial events in Auckland in recent weeks saw eight men compete for 20,000 New Zealand dollars (£8,800) in front of more than 1,000 spectators. Winners were expected to go into a championship event next month with prize money of up to 250,000 New Zealand dollars (£110,000). Two other events in Auckland were cancelled when organisers were unable to obtain permits. The RUNIT Championship League released a statement to the New Zealand news website Stuff on Tuesday, saying it 'does not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions'. 'This is tragic news and 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 read. RUNIT has been strongly condemned by experts in head injuries who say competitors run a high risk of a serious brain injury.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Globe and Mail
New Zealand teenager dies after imitating a new tackling game trending on social media
A 19-year-old New Zealand man has died after imitating with friends a new tackling game trending on social media in which competitors run at each other and collide while wearing no protective equipment. Police confirmed Ryan Satterthwaite suffered a head injury on Sunday while playing a backyard game with friends in the North Island city of Palmerston North. He died on Monday as a result of his injuries. Area police commander Inspector Ross Grantham described Satterthwaite's death as 'a huge tragedy' and urged others to 'consider the significant safety and injury risks' of the game which is known as RUNIT or RUNIT Straight. 'A young man lost his life as a result of participating in what I understand to be a social media frenzy,' Grantham said. 'While this is not a criminal matter, police will continue to undertake inquiries on behalf of the coroner,' Grantham said. 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. '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.' RUNIT is based loosely on the contact elements of rugby union, rugby league or the NFL and involves two competitors, a runner and a tackler, running at each other and colliding on a 20 metre by four metre (65 foot by 13 foot) area known as a battlefield. Organizers have promoted the event as 'the world's fiercest new collision sport.' The game has grown in social media popularity through the Australian RUNIT Championship League which offers cash prizes to competitors. Two trial events in Auckland in recent weeks saw eight men compete for 20,000 New Zealand dollars ($12,000) in front of more than 1,000 spectators. Winners were expected to go into a championship event next month with prize money of up to 250,000 New Zealand dollars ($150,000). Two other events in Auckland were cancelled when organizers were unable to obtain permits. The RUNIT Championship League released a statement to the New Zealand news website Stuff on Tuesday, saying it 'does not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions.' 'This is tragic news and 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.' RUNIT has been strongly condemned by experts in head injuries who say competitors run a high risk of a serious brain injury.
