Runit Championship League event winner says $20k cash prize ‘gives us a head start' in life
The 26-year-old played rugby union throughout his schooling at Auckland's St Peter's College and Kelston Boys' High School, before being selected in the wider training squad of the NPC's Bay of Plenty Steamers.
He moved to Christchurch, where he currently plays semi-professional-grade rugby league – and has gone on to represent Canterbury.
Asked how the 'run it straight' event compared to a standard rugby league game, Betham said it was 'a lot harder, collision-wise'.
'On the footy field you've got people chucking on footwork, and they're trying to evade you almost. But this one was proper contact, you had to chuck a shoulder on something."
But as he stood 20m away from his competitors, ready to brace for each of his jarring collisions, Betham said he felt 'really relaxed'.
'I think from the start, when they were taking us through the debriefs and all of that kind of stuff, I pretty much said to myself, 'Just play it simple, play it safe, don't try and go for the big hits because obviously that's when you or someone else could get hurt'.
'I was just playing it safe and if a big hit came, then it came.'
And the big hits came aplenty, with the judging panel crowning Betham the unanimous winner of the night – taking home the significant cash prize and a spot in the final event next month with $200k up for grabs.
In his acceptance speech on the night, Betham said the money would go towards giving back to his grandparents – a statement he echoed when speaking to the Herald.
'It means heaps, especially just [to be able to] give back to my grandparents and stuff. And then I guess it sort of gives us a head start in life, trying to be wise and [have the opportunity] to grow that $20k into something bigger.'
Betham said he decided to enter the competition after seeing the staggering prize money on offer, and an opportunity to be a part of the sport's growing platform.
He said the sport had a 'massive future' ahead, with plans for the league to travel to America, Saudi Arabia and the UK later in the year.
'Runit is doing an awesome job, especially for us blokes that love a bit of crash and bang. They're definitely doing a massive job and just big ups to them.'
Combat sport condemned by leading doctors
Leading neuroscientists have consistently condemned the concept since its inception.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) expert Dr Helen Murray told the Herald there is clearly 'a high risk of head injury in this event'.
'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 said.
'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.'
Professor Patria Hume, sports scientist and injury prevention expert at Auckland University of Technology, called the sport 'a step backwards' in athlete safety.
'We've spent years building evidence-based strategies to reduce head and neck injuries in rugby and contact sports. This event ignores all of that.'
Advertisement Advertise with NZME.
Stacey Mowbray, chief executive of Headway – a concussion and brain injury education charity – told the Herald the events present 'serious risk of traumatic brain injury or death'.
'Headway supports sports but run it straight is not a sport. It is a dangerous spectacle with an extremely high risk of brain injury.
She believed promotional material and the event's format appear to 'deliberately target vulnerable communities' by offering large prize money as an incentive to participate.
'For many, particularly those under financial pressure, that's a difficult offer to refuse – even when the risk of serious harm is known.'
'No athlete should bear the burden': League says it covers all medical expenses
In a statement to the Herald after the second trial night, a Runit Championship League spokesperson said the organisation was 'committed to the health, safety and well-being of every athlete who represents our brand'.
Of the eight competitors on Wednesday, three were forced to retire with injuries – two of whom showed signs of a concussion. That was after one of the first competitors on Monday night's trial was knocked unconscious.
'We recognise that competing at the highest level comes with physical risks, and we firmly believe that no athlete should bear the burden of those risks alone,' the league said.
They said the organisation covers 100% of all medical expenses directly related to injuries sustained while competing.
'In addition, if an athlete is unable to work due to a competition-related injury, we ensure their wages are fully paid during their recovery period.
'Our athletes are the heart of what we do, and we stand by them – on and off the field. Their commitment to excellence is matched by our commitment to their care.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Shooter in New York skyscraper blamed NFL for brain injury, mayor says
By Lananh Nguyen, Doina Chiacu and Brendan O'Brien, Reuters The man who killed four people with an assault rifle while rampaging through a Midtown Manhattan office tower carried a note with him that appeared to blame the National Football League for his degenerative brain disease, New York Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday (US time). Police have identified the shooter as Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old Las Vegas resident with a history of mental illness. Tamura ended the Monday evening massacre by shooting himself in the chest on the 33rd floor of the Park Avenue office tower. The NFL has its headquarters in the skyscraper alongside major financial firms, but Tamura apparently entered the wrong elevator bank and ended up in the offices of Rudin Management, a real estate company, where he shot employees, the mayor said. "The note alluded to that he felt he had CTE, a known brain injury for those who participate in contact sports," Adams told CBS News. "He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury." The man they believe to be the gunman walking into the building. Photo: Obtained by CNN Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a serious brain disease with no known treatment that can be caused by repeated bangs to the head while playing contact sports. It has been linked to aggression and dementia. The NFL has paid more than US$1 billion (NZ$1.6b) to settle concussion-related lawsuits with thousands of retired players after the deaths of several high-profile players in the top professional American football league. Tamura was never an NFL player, but online records show he played football at his California high school and was a varsity player at a Los Angeles charter school until graduating in 2016, according to school sports databases. The note found in his wallet said his football career was cut short by his brain injury, Bloomberg News reported. A former coach, Walter Roby, told Fox News that Tamura was a "quiet, hard worker" during the year he spent on the team at Granada Hills Charter School. "He was, you know, one of my top offensive players at the time," Roby said. Blackstone also has its headquarters in the tower, and the private equity firm said Wesley LePatner, a senior executive who oversaw some of Blackstone's real estate operations, was among those Tamura killed, and several colleagues were injured and taken to hospital. Many of the offices near the site of shooting, including Blackstone's, were closed on Tuesday morning. Those who returned to the area, home of some of the country's financial powerhouses, were shaken by the proximity of the violence. "We are very saddened about the tragic loss of life ... thankfully, everyone at (our) firm is safe," said Mitchell S Nussbaum, co-chair of law firm Loeb & Loeb, which has offices on the 18th to 22nd floors of the building. The yellow mark shows where the shooting took place. Photo: Supplied/Maps The shooting follows last year's killing of a top UnitedHealth executive outside a hotel about three blocks away from Monday's rampage. Prosecutors say the man charged with that murder targeted his victim as a symbol of corporate greed. Tamura also killed a New York Police Department officer, Didarul Islam, 36, who came from Bangladesh and had been on the force three years, the mayor said. US President Donald Trump said his "heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice". An NFL employee was also injured in the shooting and was in stable condition at a hospital, according to a memo sent by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to league staff. Goodell wrote there would be "increased security presence" at the league's offices "in the days and weeks to come". Tamura appeared to have driven to New York City from Las Vegas over three days and to have acted alone, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters on Monday night. He entered the skyscraper's lobby, turned to his right and immediately shot the NYPD officer, who was assigned to the building's security detail, Tisch said. She said Tamura used an M4 carbine, a semi-automatic rifle popular with civilian US gun enthusiasts modeled on a fully automatic rifle used by the US military. He then shot a woman and two men in the lobby but inexplicably allowed another woman to pass him unharmed before he took the elevator to the 33rd-floor offices of Rudin Management. There he fatally shot his final victim before taking his own life, Tisch said. A widely circulated photo showed the permit issued to Tamura by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department allowing him to legally carry a concealed firearm. He had recently worked as a security guard at a Las Vegas casino, Fox 11 news channel in Los Angeles reported. On two occasions, in 2022 and 2024, records show law enforcement officials detained him for up to 72 hours under a "mental health crisis hold", which requires the detainee to be evaluated at a hospital, ABC News reported. A loaded revolver was later recovered from the black BMW vehicle Tamura had left double-parked outside the office tower, along with a backpack and prescription medications, Tisch said. -Reuters
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Horse racing: Top trainer explains what punters should look for on heavy tracks
'It is very satisfying and we have some nice horses for next season too.' For all Forsman's experience and ability he admits the chances of many of those he sends to Te Rapa and Ōtaki tomorrow come down to a factor the eye simply can't see. 'At this stage of the season what sort of heavy track you get and whether they can handle it dictates so much,' he explains. 'The difference between a Heavy 8 and a bottomless Heavy 10 is huge and once you get to the really heavy tracks, it is nearly impossible to know whether they will handle it or not. 'If they don't, they simply can't win.' Forsman says the best indicator he can come up with as to whether a horse will handle trench warfare-level tracks is strength and size. 'Those bigger and most importantly stronger horses tend to handle the really heavy tracks better, because it can be a battle of who is strongest. 'But it is still really hard to predict and a lot comes down to how heavy it is and whether there is rain on the day, or even the day before.' The best example of the winter unknowns for Forsman tomorrow is Force Of Nature (race six, No 7) at Te Rapa, who has come a long way in a short time but may even skip tomorrow's open 1300m if the weather deteriorates. 'He won here on a Heavy 8 last start but I'd prefer it to come back a point from the Heavy 10 it was today [Thursday],' Forsman said. 'He is a really nice horse who I think will get black type but we don't want to be running him on anything too heavy.' Saint Bathans (R5, No 1) is a one-time Rich Hill Mile runner-up who has shown only glimpses of that ability since, so Forsman has opted for a different approach tomorrow, putting him in an R75 with a carded 63.5kgs but dropping to 59.5kgs with apprentice Sam McNab aboard. 'We know the abiility is there but he hasn't been showing it,' Forsman said. 'We put blinkers on the last two runs but they didn't help so we are taking him back the track where he last went well [second three starts ago]. 'He is big enough to carry a decent weight but it is up to him now.' Forsman has two other reps wearing the No 1 saddlecloth early in the card, with Richard And I (R2) and Rio Grande (R3) both getting star jockey Michael McNab. 'They can both win but it comes down again to how they handle the track. But I do like Richard And I and think he will improve on last start.' Forsman also sends one-from-one filly Accentuate to Ōtaki for the $80,000 Ryder Stakes and an ideal opportunity to get black type and again says how deep the track ends up will be crucial. 'She was really good winning on debut at when it was pretty heavy so she should handle it,' he said. 'I really like her but it is a nice field with a couple of horses with a fair bit more experience than her. 'So a lot will depend how they all handle the track.' Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
NZ Herald
7 days ago
- NZ Herald
Coroner recommends changes after fatal charity boxing match
The 141-page report recommends that waivers and medical declarations be signed 'as close to the event as reasonably practicable'. It also recommends that they contain specific questions to 'draw out whether a competitor has suffered an actual or suspected head injury/concussion'. Parsons potentially suffered a concussion or head injury during training – weeks before his fight took place. Neither the event promoter nor doctor was made aware of the incident. Parsons' family argued that he wasn't fully aware of the risk involved in the event. The findings recommend greater education for participants. 'Consider a compulsory seminar, say, 12 weeks out from an event for competitors, their trainer, the event doctor, and any other relevant stakeholders. A competitor's family could be encouraged to attend too,' reads the coroner's findings. Parsons' family is pleased with that aspect of the coroner's findings. 'We're pleased about the emphasis on education and proper informed consent, because there never has been informed consent for this,' says Dr Pete Benny, Kain Parsons' father-in-law. Christchurch man Kain Parsons with his daughters. Parsons was killed in a charity boxing match in 2018. Photo / Supplied Kain Parsons Kain Parsons was 37 when he climbed into the ring for a charity boxing match. He was a novice fighter – but had a long and storied history of giving. '[He] would help anyone. All his friends and stuff – he was always doing jobs for them,' says his wife, Alana Parsons. Alana says her husband enjoyed the boxing training and was 'excited' about being asked to participate – but the opportunity to raise money for charity was what 'drew him to the event'. Parsons is remembered by his wife as 'a great dad' to his three children – and was 'just fun to be around'. 'He had so many contacts for an Australian [who] wasn't brought up in Christchurch. He seemed to know more people in Christchurch than I did, and I lived here all my life. It's just the person he was really,' said Alana. Parsons had played rugby up until his death and was known for his teamwork. 'He was just one of those guys that would talk to anyone and then make anyone feel sort of listened to,' said Alana. It was crucial to the Parsons family that the man who always listened could now be heard, even if he couldn't be there in person. The coroner's court would provide that platform and with it an opportunity to push for change in future corporate boxing events. 'He's not here to defend himself, and it's felt like my role for the last six years, I feel like I've had to,' said Alana. Accountability Kain Parsons' mother Cheryl Gascoigne told the Herald the coronial inquest had 'pulled my son's integrity apart'. She felt the finger of blame was often pointed at her son throughout the process. 'Many people that were part of that event insinuated that Kain was responsible for his death,' said Gascoigne. 'I sat through a week of listening to all parties that were involved in Kain's death and at no time did any one of those parties reflect and take responsibility for the part that they played in my son's death.' The coroner found that the referee for the fight could have done more. 'In terms of adverse comments, I have made a finding that [the referee] could have taken further, more focused available steps to assess Mr Parsons' ability to continue the match after the third standing eight count. I cannot make a finding of whether a further, more focused assessment would have resulted in an outcome that [the referee] should have called off the match. 'The above finding equates to there being available to [the referee] the opportunity to further assess Mr Parsons. It is not a finding that he should have called off the match. It is also not a finding that he was correct to allow it to continue. I am unable to make a finding on the evidence before me about whether the match should have been called off,' said the coroner. Kain Parsons with his three children. Photo / Supplied Legislative repeal The coroner's findings recommend the proposed repeal of the Boxing and Wrestling Act 1981 and the Boxing and Wrestling Regulations 1958 and that the Department of Internal Affairs reviews the legislative framework and regulations. It suggests the review should include the 'specific context' of corporate boxing 'to help achieve consistency and a single national standard'. 'Such review might include whether there is a need for a single central body to manage corporate boxing. The specific context of corporate boxing includes relatively novice fighters participating in a specialised sport generally known to carry inherent risks and as such subject to a legislative regime,' said the coroner. In a statement, Minister for Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden said the act is outdated. 'Any death from combat sports is an avoidable tragedy that nobody wants to see happen in New Zealand. My thoughts are with Mr Parsons' family and friends during this difficult time. 'The Boxing and Wrestling Act 1981 is proposed to be repealed because it is outdated and only applies to boxing and wrestling associations; it does not cover other popular forms of combat sport, such as mixed-martial arts or variations of combat sport that carry greater risk. 'It is preferable to have one clear and modern legislative framework for all combat sports. Sport NZ are the lead co-ordinating agency considering current issues with combat sports, including a potential government response, and DIA are supporting them with this along with other relevant agencies. 'The repeal of the Boxing and Wrestling Act is proposed to be done through the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill which will proceed to select committee later this year. The public will be able to have their say during this process.' The Government's involvement is welcomed by Parsons' family – though Gascoigne is extremely cautious with her optimism. 'That will take many, many months if not years to come to fruition. And it will only come to fruition if all parties are prepared to tackle it with care, with duty of care in mind. And after what I saw in that court, I have no confidence that that will happen,' she said. The Parsons family: Kain, Alana and their three children. Kain suffered a severe head injury during the 2018 Fight for Christchurch charity boxing event. Photo / Supplied Coronial delay The coroner acknowledged the length of time between Parsons' death and the beginning of her inquest. 'Mr Parsons died in early November 2018 and the inquest took place approximately six years later. I became the coroner responsible for the inquiry into Mr Parsons' death in June 2021. As the inquiry has progressed, there have been various reasons for delay, largely relating to engaging expert witnesses and securing a courtroom for the inquest hearing. The time it has taken to reach the inquest is very regrettable,' she noted. The delay has made the grieving process difficult for Parsons' family. 'The delays and delays and delays don't allow the normal healing processes to occur because you're always waiting for something to happen,' says Pete Benny. 'A year or so ago, we kind of were in quite a good spot. We were sort of trying to move forward. This brings it all back again,' Alana added. His mother Gascoigne said it also impacted the inquest itself, saying that the coroner referred 'many times to the fact that it had been a very long time'. 'We did finally get an outcome, but then it was all around the length of time and the evidence that was available and 'I can't rule on that evidence because it's taken too long' and 'that evidence is no longer available to me' or whatever the case may be. I believe that we would have had a much firmer outcome had it been addressed earlier,' she said. Gascoigne believes the inquest was only heard last year because of steps the family themselves took to push it along. 'I know I'm highly emotive, but I feel that the justice system in the length of time it took to get here, and the only reason it did was because we as a family hired counsel to get them to bring it to the forefront,' said Gascoigne. 'It's been such a drawn-out process really, so it's tiring and it's still going, but I suppose in some ways there, there are things that will hopefully change how, you know, these fights are run,' says Alana Parsons.
