A promising 15-year-old kickboxer from Liverpool, Alexander Eastwood, has died following a head injury sustained during an unsanctioned kickboxing match, prompting urgent calls for government regulation of combat sports involving children.
The incident occurred on June 29, 2024, at a kickboxing gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan, where the young champion completed three rounds before becoming seriously unwell. According to the coroner’s report, Alexander “became unresponsive apparently suffering a seizure” at the end of the contest.
Michael James Pemberton, assistant coroner for Manchester (West), has taken the unusual step of filing a Prevention of Future Death report prior to the inquest, highlighting critical concerns about the lack of regulatory guidance for child combat sports.
“Under current circumstances, arrangements for each and every contact sport contest involving a child is left to the judgment of an organiser,” Pemberton wrote in his report, which has been sent to Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Digital Culture, Media and Sport. BBC was first to report.
After falling ill, Alexander was rushed to the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan, where scans revealed a significant brain bleed. Despite emergency surgery at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and “maximal medical intervention,” his condition deteriorated, and he was declared dead on July 2, 2024.
The coroner has raised specific concerns about the absence of minimum standards in several crucial areas, including medical support requirements, limits on rounds and rest periods, welfare checks for participants, and the lack of risk assessment and critical incident planning.
Alexander’s family expressed gratitude for the coroner’s action, stating they “don’t want other families to suffer” the “unbearable” loss they have experienced.
The report has also been sent to Hurricane Combat & Fitness, Kickboxing GB, UK Sport, and the Children’s Commissioner for England. A spokesperson for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said, “The department will fully consider the report and respond in due course.” Secretary Nandy must respond by May 9.
This tragic case has spotlighted the potential dangers of unregulated combat sports for minors and may lead to significant changes in how these activities are overseen in the future.
