In New Zealand, a teenager died in a social media trend game
Kyiv • UNN
A 19-year-old died from a traumatic brain injury sustained while playing "run straight" with friends. This game, which has become popular on social media, involves head-to-head collisions without protective gear.
A teenager in New Zealand has died while playing a game derived from rugby - its participants run at each other head-on without protective equipment, AFP reports, citing police, writes UNN.
Details
Fueled by social media and sometimes played out in front of large crowds, the "run-it-straight" competition has swept New Zealand and Australia. Organized run-it-straight competitions offer thousands of dollars in prize money, but the trend raises concerns about concussions and other serious injuries.
A 19-year-old boy who was playing the game with friends over the weekend has died in the North Island of New Zealand, police said in a statement.
"The boy suffered a serious head injury while playing the game and was taken to hospital by friends. Unfortunately, he died in hospital on Monday night. We urge anyone thinking of participating in such games or activities to consider the significant safety and injury risks," said Police Inspector Ross Grantham.
According to Grantham, the teenager was participating in an "impromptu game with friends", not a planned event.
"The game played by the group of friends was based on a trend that originated on social media, where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective equipment," police said.
Organized run-it-straight competitions have attracted the attention of former professional rugby players. Former Leicester, Montpellier and Fiji winger Nemani Nadolo was a star participant in one such event earlier this year.
Experts are comparing the craze to combat sports, warning that participants face serious risks of concussion. One organized competition in Australia described it as "the world's most brutal new collision sport."
According to competition organizers, in the process of the game, two runners attack each other from a distance of 20 meters from each other.
Run-it-straight competitions in New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, were briefly halted last week when a participant began convulsing on the ground, local media reported. The brain injury charity Headway has condemned the competition.
"There are some horrific and really disturbing videos. We are seeing people having seizures, people having obvious head injuries," said Stacey Mowbray, the organization's chief executive, in an interview with national broadcaster Radio New Zealand.
Rugby and other sports are grappling with new evidence linking head contact to degenerative brain diseases.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is known to cause aggressive mood, dementia and depression. Head impact injuries have also been linked to other disorders such as motor neuron disease, early dementia, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.