Latest news with #AlexEastwood
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Combat sports review after death of kickboxer, 15
A review of the safety of children who compete in combat sports has been ordered by the government following the death of a 15-year-old world kickboxing champion. Alex Eastwood, from Fazakerley in Liverpool, died on 29 June 2024, three days after he collapsed following an unsanctioned charity fight against a 17-year-old opponent in Wigan, Greater Manchester. Advertisement Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock told MPs that Sport England would work with the martial arts sector to identify safety improvements and present a plan "in the coming months". She was responding to calls for better regulation of martial arts competitions from Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden, who is supporting Alex's parents. 'Safeguarding failures' Carden said he had called the debate in the House of Commons with "a heavy heart" and that "Alex's death was not simply a tragic accident but a preventable loss" which had "highlighted a dangerous gap in our duty to protect children". Advertisement Alex's father Stephen Eastwood and step-mother Nikita were in the public gallery to hear the debate. Speaking outside Parliament while holding a photograph of his son, Mr Eastwood said several safeguarding failures had come to light during Alex's inquest. He said parents often "assumed" sporting events were sanctioned and regulated, but that had not been the case with the charity fundraiser fight at TKMA Gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan. Mr Eastwood said he and his wife had fallen "victim" to the assumption "that everything was above board - we assumed that everything was in place". Advertisement He said it was only during last month's inquest that the family had discovered "that wasn't true". Alex Eastwood's death has been described by an MP as "not simply a tragic accident but a preventable loss" [Family handout] Mr Eastwood said he would not like to see kickboxing banned for children since "it helps keep them off the streets, it helps tackle obesity, it's good for mental awareness [and] it gives them a springboard going into future life". But he said there needed to be better safeguarding, first aid facilities and medical care available. Mr and Mrs Eastwood are due to meet Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy on Monday and will ask her to implement "a minimum standard for gyms that have children in", including "proper DBS checks and proper safeguarding". Advertisement Mrs Eastwood urged other families involved in kickboxing to ask questions of the venues where their children train and compete. She said: "Ask, is this a regulated gym? Where are your DBS checks? Who's your health and safety officer? Who's your safeguarding coach?" She suggested that gyms could also display this information on their walls. Peacock said her department and Sport England would work together to develop guidance for the martial arts sector and review safeguarding codes to ensure they were fit for purpose. She said Sport England would also work with the children's charity NSPCC to help educate parents and carers on what to look for when considering martial arts tuition. Advertisement Peacock said her department was also exploring ways to strengthen safety standards in clubs and competitions that are not affiliated with national governing bodies. She said conversations were also being had with the martial arts sector to understand how to help parents and carers be confident that their children are safe when participating. 'Unsanctioned and unregulated' Carden told the Commons the inquest into Alex's death heard that standards around safety, medical oversight and safeguarding varied widely, and in many cases were absent. He added: "If a match is unofficial or unsanctioned, there is no guideline minimum standard that must be met to provide safeguarding for a child participant, no minimum standard of medical support that might be required, no maximum rounds, no periods of rest, no welfare checks on participants, and no risk assessment and critical incident plan. Advertisement "It should stop us all in our tracks to learn that in this country, children can be placed in combat situations without clear, enforceable national protections." Carden said Alex's family had "done everything right - everything a loving family would do. They encouraged him to get involved in a range of sports and activities and supported him when it became clear that he had a talent for kickboxing". But he said "they and Alex were failed by a lack of safeguarding, responsibility and regulation". He told MPs: "Every single day, children up and down the country take part in activities like Alex did. They lace up gloves, put on headgear and step into training halls and rings, with no minimum standards in place to ensure their safety." Advertisement He said parents like the Eastwoods would be oblivious to some of the risks of unsanctioned and unregulated bouts. Peacock said: "The coroner's report on the case of Alexander Eastwood highlighted specific issues around clubs and competitions that are not affiliated with a national governing body. We are now looking into that as a matter of urgency." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. More on this story Related internet links
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Determined parents 'will not stop until meaningful change has taken place' after death of son
The issue of child safety in combat sports will be debated in the House of Commons following the tragic death of 15-year-old kickboxer Alex Eastwood. Alex, from Fazakerley, died on July 2 last year, three days after suffering a "catastrophic" head injury while competing in an unsanctioned match. The world championship winner fought three individual rounds at the TKMA gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan, before collapsing. An inquest last month found there were "no minimum standards" for health and safety at the fundraising event, and that kickboxing clubs are not required to register with governing authorities. Following the hearing, Alex's stepmum Nikita said: "What happened to him was not just a tragic accident - the inquest has made clear to us that it was a failure of safeguarding, of responsibility, and of regulation. READ MORE: Liverpool's 'Bullring' where thousands have lived over 90 years READ MORE: Family tribute to 'best big brother', 16, found dead on railway tracks 'Alex died after a fight that we now see should never have happened. There was no national governing body involvement, and no clear or enforced safety standards. His death must be a line in the sand so that these failures change." The coroner issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report in March over the lack of guidance and regulation in contact sports involving children. The report read: "No base line or minimum standards of what safeguarding or necessary risk management is set out for those who plan or organise an 'official' or 'unofficial' match where physical force may be used between or against a child participant. "Under current circumstance, arrangements for each and every contact sport contest involving a child is left to the judgement of an organiser who may have recourse to principles provided by a sports association, if the match is to meet official status. "If a match is unofficial or unsanctioned, there is no guideline of what minimum standards must be met to provide safeguarding for a child participant." An adjournment debate, secured by Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden, will be heard in Parliament on Tuesday, July 8, to address the urgent need for national safeguarding of child participation in combat sports. In a statement, Alex's family said: 'We welcome the adjournment debate and are grateful to Dan Carden for bringing this issue forward. "No family should have to go through what we have. We want to ensure Alex's death leads to real change and that children across the UK are properly protected.' Dan Carden MP said: 'I'm proud to have secured a debate in Alex Eastwood's memory to push for stronger safeguards for children in combat sports. No child should be put at such risk. It's time for clear national standards to prevent another tragedy like Alex's.' Alex's parents, dad Stephen and stepmum Nikita, will also meet with Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, to discuss proposals for reform on Monday, July 14. The request was made in a letter from Alex's parents' legal representatives at law firm Leigh Day. Jill Paterson, lawyer representing the family, said: 'This debate is a crucial moment for children's sport. "Alex's inquest has shone a light on serious and disturbing shortcomings relating to children's safety when participating in combat sports. Knowing the determination of Alex's parents, they will not stop until meaningful change has taken place.'
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Combat sports review follows death of Liverpool kickboxer, 15
A review of the safety of children who compete in combat sports has been ordered by the government following the death of a 15-year-old world kickboxing Eastwood, from Fazakerley in Liverpool, died on 29 June 2024, three days after he collapsed following an unsanctioned charity fight against a 17-year-old opponent in Wigan, Greater Minister Stephanie Peacock told MPs that Sport England would work with the martial arts sector to identify safety improvements and present a plan "in the coming months".She was responding to calls for better regulation of martial arts competitions from Liverpool Walton MP Dan Carden, who is supporting Alex's parents. 'Safeguarding failures' Carden said he had called the debate in the House of Commons with "a heavy heart" and that "Alex's death was not simply a tragic accident but a preventable loss" which had "highlighted a dangerous gap in our duty to protect children".Alex's father Stephen Eastwood and step-mother Nikita were in the public gallery to hear the debate. Speaking outside Parliament while holding a photograph of his son, Mr Eastwood said several safeguarding failures had come to light during Alex's said parents often "assumed" sporting events were sanctioned and regulated, but that had not been the case with the charity fundraiser fight at TKMA Gym in Platt Bridge, Eastwood said he and his wife had fallen "victim" to the assumption "that everything was above board - we assumed that everything was in place". He said it was only during last month's inquest that the family had discovered "that wasn't true". Mr Eastwood said he would not like to see kickboxing banned for children since "it helps keep them off the streets, it helps tackle obesity, it's good for mental awareness [and] it gives them a springboard going into future life".But he said there needed to be better safeguarding, first aid facilities and medical care and Mrs Eastwood are due to meet Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy on Monday and will ask her to implement "a minimum standard for gyms that have children in", including "proper DBS checks and proper safeguarding".Mrs Eastwood urged other families involved in kickboxing to ask questions of the venues where their children train and compete. She said: "Ask, is this a regulated gym? Where are your DBS checks? Who's your health and safety officer? Who's your safeguarding coach?"She suggested that gyms could also display this information on their said her department and Sport England would work together to develop guidance for the martial arts sector and review safeguarding codes to ensure they were fit for said Sport England would also work with the children's charity NSPCC to help educate parents and carers on what to look for when considering martial arts said her department was also exploring ways to strengthen safety standards in clubs and competitions that are not affiliated with national governing said conversations were also being had with the martial arts sector to understand how to help parents and carers be confident that their children are safe when participating. 'Unsanctioned and unregulated' Carden told the Commons the inquest into Alex's death heard that standards around safety, medical oversight and safeguarding varied widely, and in many cases were added: "If a match is unofficial or unsanctioned, there is no guideline minimum standard that must be met to provide safeguarding for a child participant, no minimum standard of medical support that might be required, no maximum rounds, no periods of rest, no welfare checks on participants, and no risk assessment and critical incident plan. "It should stop us all in our tracks to learn that in this country, children can be placed in combat situations without clear, enforceable national protections."Carden said Alex's family had "done everything right - everything a loving family would do. They encouraged him to get involved in a range of sports and activities and supported him when it became clear that he had a talent for kickboxing". But he said "they and Alex were failed by a lack of safeguarding, responsibility and regulation".He told MPs: "Every single day, children up and down the country take part in activities like Alex did. They lace up gloves, put on headgear and step into training halls and rings, with no minimum standards in place to ensure their safety." He said parents like the Eastwoods would be oblivious to some of the risks of unsanctioned and unregulated said: "The coroner's report on the case of Alexander Eastwood highlighted specific issues around clubs and competitions that are not affiliated with a national governing body. We are now looking into that as a matter of urgency." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Alex Eastwood: 'Our son's kickboxing death must lead to change'
Moments before 15-year-old Alex Eastwood headed down to the ring to compete in a charity kickboxing match, his father gave him a kiss and told him he loved Eastwood, 40, never imagined this would be the last conversation he had with his champion kickboxer collapsed after the third and final bout of the match and died three days later in hospital. After it came to light that he had been competing in an unsanctioned family, his family launched a campaign for change in his memory. During his inquest at Bolton Coroner's Court, Michael Pemberton, assistant coroner for Manchester West, concluded Alex died through said neither Alex, nor his parents, appreciated the dangers of the "chaotic and somewhat disjointed" approach to children involved in combat described the planning and lack of risk assessment before the fatal bout as "sub-optimal".Alex fell in love with kickboxing after he started training at Hurricane Combat and Fitness in Liverpool at the age of nine and had a "meteoric" rise in the sport, his inquest heard. The teenager, from Fazakerley, Liverpool, who had just finished his GCSEs, had agreed to take part in the charity fundraiser fight at TKMA Gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan, on 29 June 2024 .The bout was to be the "main event", but it was an unsanctioned match, the inquest heard. Tragedy struck when Alex collapsed after the third and final two-minute round of the "light contact" kickboxing match against a 17-year-old opponent. Mr Eastwood told the inquest he "shouted that his son's head guard had come loose" in the second round, which was said he noticed his son's movements had become "slower" and he was "holding the rope" in the third round. Speaking to BBC North West Tonight, Mr Eastwood said: "I looked at Nikita [Alex's step-mother] and across the room and shook my head as if to say 'what have we just witnessed?'"He recalled how his son, who trained five times a week, appeared "sluggish and wasn't himself" before he "started throwing punches into thin air".His father said no-one seemed to react to what was unfolding in front of their eyes as he remembered rushing to his son's side to put him in a recovery position. "I just thought 'why is no-one else reacting to this? Am I seeing this straight? This isn't normal'," said Mrs Eastwood. Alex was taken to the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan where doctors confirmed he had catastrophic brain damage and was transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital for surgery but he died on 2 July 2024 with his father at his bedside. "From that point on there've just been questions of what, why, and trying to move forward with some sort of life, which is very difficult at the moment," his father a pre-inquest hearing into his death, Mr Pemberton took the unusual step of filing a Prevention of Future Death report as he said he was concerned there was no regulatory guidance for any child combat sports. "To be told as parents that children are fighting in unregulated and unsanctioned fights and we don't know – it's shocking," said Mr Eastwood."We put him in a sport to help him, make him better in life and I'll never see him again now because of that sport."Alex's family said the government needed to step in to regulate the sport to make it safer for children, adding there needed to be clear, enforceable, national protections for children's combat sports."It's a great sport for people – but as long as everyone comes home safe," said Mr Eastwood."It's not at the moment, because Alex hasn't come home safe."Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "Whilst the government does not, and should not, directly regulate sport, it is clear lessons must be learned."She said her department was "exploring ways to improve the safety and welfare of children in martial arts".Additional reporting by PA Media. Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Safeguards 'non-existent' when kickboxer, 15, died
A 15-year-old three-time world kickboxing champion died from a severe traumatic brain injury after an unsanctioned fight which had no safeguards, a coroner has ruled. Alex Eastwood suddenly collapsed after the charity bout in Wigan against a 17-year-old opponent and died three days later, on 29 June last Michael Pemberton said the fight was unsanctioned and the safeguards that were meant to exist "simply didn't". He described the regulation of kickboxing as "chaotic and disjointed".He said emergency services did everything they could to try and save Alex. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
