A violent new Australian sport that features massive athletes deliberately colliding at full speed has drawn criticism from a leading neuroscientist who warns of potential lasting brain damage.
The RUNIT Championship League, which will hold a tournament in Melbourne on Wednesday with $13,300 (USD) in prize money, has attracted several high-profile athletes including premiership-winning former NRL star George Burgess.
The controversial sport pits two competitors against each other on a narrow 20-meter by 4-meter “battlefield” – one carrying a rugby ball, the other attempting to tackle them – as they run directly toward each other at maximum speed. According to RUNIT organizers, “victory belongs to the one who dominates the collision.”
Dr. Helen Murray, a prominent neuroscientist and expert on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), has expressed serious concerns about the sport’s fundamental concept.
“From a CTE standpoint, we know that exposure to repeated head acceleration events is the biggest risk factor for CTE pathology, and therefore finding ways to reduce these impacts in contact sports is a priority for player safety,” Murray told the New Zealand Herald. “It appears there is no attempt to mitigate head acceleration events in this activity and the risk of significant injury is high, given the intent to collide, so I do not support it.”
The sport has been compared in promotional materials to America’s Power Slap league, which features competitors taking turns delivering open-handed strikes to each other’s faces without defensive movements.
Despite safety concerns, RUNIT has attracted numerous sports stars. Melbourne Storm player Nelson Asofa-Solomona served as a spokesman before recently announcing a split with the organization “due to a fall out.” AFL star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan from the Western Bulldogs has appeared as an ambassador, and former Super Rugby and Fijian Test star Nemani Nadolo will compete against Burgess in the upcoming tournament.
RUNIT organizers defend their safety protocols, stating: “Yes, a knockout can potentially occur, but this is not the aim of our game. The aim is to dominate contact – whether you bump someone over or land a good, clean hit. We disallow tackles below the waist and above the shoulders.”
They added that athletes undergo medical screening before and after matches, medical personnel are present during events, and participants must complete medical waivers including drug and blood tests before competing.
The league has distanced itself from a viral video showing a participant in a similar but unaffiliated event displaying severe concussion symptoms, including uncontrollable arm movements consistent with the fencing response – an indicator of traumatic brain injury. RUNIT called the incident “thoroughly disappointing” and emphasized the difference between their organization and “backyard-type events.”
RUNIT plans to expand internationally, with events scheduled for New Zealand next month before moving to the UK, USA, and Saudi Arabia later this year. Asofa-Solomona previously explained the concept was created to “find the biggest hitters and ball runners who didn’t get an opportunity [in top-level footy] through injury, family issues etc and give them a crack.”
For Burgess, the RUNIT appearance comes three years after his final NRL game with the St George Illawarra Dragons. The former prop forward has been open about attending rehabilitation for gambling addiction and made history as the first professional rugby league player to return after hip-resurfacing surgery.
