Latest news with #brainInjury
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Huge setback for ultra-violent new Australian sport that has been endorsed by NRL and AFL stars
An ultra-violent Australian sport which has been endorsed by several prominent figures in the NRL and AFL has suffered a big blow after one of its events in New Zealand was called off. 'Run It Straight' is a new and emerging competition which challenges two competitors to sprint straight at each other and compete in full-contact collisions. The objective is to either plough over an opposition tackler while running with a football or successfully tackle a ball carrier to the ground. Competitors are generally seen wearing very minimal protective gear, with brutal impacts occuring as a result. A 'Run It Straight' event, which is said to be organised by @RunItStraight24, had been scheduled at Williams Park Mangere in Auckland on Wednesday. However, the event has been scrubbed by organisers after they failed to secure a permit to host the event. A local board had also opposed the event after citing safety fears, claiming that the new sport could lead to brain injuries. The chairman of the Mangere-Otahuhu local board, Tauanu'u Nick Bakulich, said to Democracy Reporting that no application had been made to the Auckland Council to host the event. 'An event was scheduled at Williams Park Māngere [on Wednesday]. The Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board opposes this event for reasons of safety, given what data is available as a result of brain and health-related injuries,' Bakulich said. 'This event did not apply for an approved permit from the Auckland Council, nor a parks booking through the Auckland Council process. This event will now not take place at Williams Park, Māngere.' Auckland Council confirmed that no applications to host the event in the park had been received. Though, while no application was given to Auckland Council, a spokesperson told the New Zealand Herald that it would have likely declined the request. 'If the organisers were to follow the correct process, we believe it is highly unlikely the event would have met the council's guidelines for approval,' a spokesperson said. 'For clarity, the council has not received an application for a permit nor a booking for the ground and therefore cannot comment on this event,' Eli Nathan, Auckland Council's head of area operations added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ABC Pacific (@abcpacific) He stated permits are necessary for events that will host more than 150 people. Events that also involve safety risks or the use of power, food vendors or vehicles are also required to have a permit. Meanwhile, Run It Straight's founder Christian Lesa, also known as Charizma, 'You see a lot of stuff online, I think they take little flicks and run with it online and run with that narrative,' 'But when you're there and the community is out - they loved it. I'd say there's not many events that bring the community together. Obviously, it's a full-contact sporting event but to see them there and loving it as much as I do, it means a lot to me. 'Having local businesses come through, they all sold out. That's another thing that fills my heart.' He added: 'Obviously, the dream is to take it world wide and across all countries and that but it just depends on the backlash we get.' It comes after a different run it straight championship, called RUNIT, was also held this week in Auckland, with another event planned in New Zealand on May 25. The RUNIT Championships had also recently been held in Melbourne and saw former NRL star George Burgess and ex-international rugby union player Nemani Nadolo to compete at the event. NRL star, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and AFL player Jamarra Ugle-Hagan have both appeared to endorse the RUNIT Championships in the past. Asofa-Solomona has, after appearing in several pictures published on the league's social media, withdrawn his affiliation to the league. Meanwhile, Ugle-Hagan, who is currently taking a leave of absence away from the Western Bulldogs to deal with some personal issues, was also seen at this month's RUNIT event in Melbourne. The sport has gained huge popularity around the world already but has been scrutinised by some health experts, who were 'gobsmacked' by the sport, especially considering how many retired sports stars are reporting with brain injuries following their careers. An Australian sports neuroscientist, Dr Alan Pearce, said he was baffled by why people would take the risk. 'I was pretty gobsmacked, speechless actually when I saw this competition idea starting because for me as someone who has seen hundreds of footballers and rugby league players who are now struggling with brain injury and long-term impairment it is really troubling,' Dr Pearce told 'I just cannot understand how they could take the most violent aspect of sport and just turn it into a spectacle where the objective is just to try and knock out or hurt your opponent. 'In a lot of these other sports (such as NRL, AFL and rugby union) you're trying to avoid direct contact whereas this is purely running at each other, it's insanity.' However, former NRL star George Burgess has come out to defend the event. 'Every sport that we have in our society is to remind us of our warrior past and to simulate warfare in a safe way - and that's exactly what we do,' Burgess said. While safety concerns have been raised by the new sport, RUNIT say they take a range of safety precautions to reduce the risk competitors are faced with. 'We've got an ambulance on site… We've got liability. Everything's covered,' RUNIT safety spokesperson Billy Coffey told RNZ. 'There's waivers, medicals beforehand, medicals after. There's an ambulance on site.' 'These guys, they're born warriors, they want to do this and they're stuck at home, have to retire early. 'Just because of that financial crisis, they're stuck in two jobs because maybe their partner or wife or whoever's staying at home can't afford to send [their children to] a daycare or doesn't want to and wants to spend more time with the family, and this gives these people a chance to get off off the couch, find that fire again in front of their friends and family and relive it.'
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Brain injury support group appalled 'Run it' collision sport events held in Auckland
Two men collide during a Run it Straight sporting event in Auckland. Photo: Supplied / RUNIT CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE via Instagram A brain injury support group says it is appalled that the controversial collision sport Run it Straight is staging events across Auckland. The activity, which has generated tens-of-millions of views on social media, involves a ball runner and a defender running full speed into each other within a 20 metre zone. The participant who "dominates" the contact is deemed the winner. On the RUNIT Championship League homepage, it claimed to be "the future and home of collision sports". "RUNIT's the world's fiercest, new collision sport. Born to go viral, built to break limits, it has taken social media by storm with tens of millions of views. "Designed for live crowds and global broadcasts, RUNIT delivers real athletes and the biggest collisions." The first of several scheduled events in Auckland this week was held on Monday night at Trusts Arena with prize money of up to $20,000 on offer. Chief executive of the Headway charity Stacey Mowbray said the activity was undoubtedly causing brain injury. "There's some horrendous and really distressing videos. Going into seizure, having obvious brain injury, that's what we can see," she said. "We refer to concussions as the invisible injury, so you don't have to see anything initially to have had one." Mowbray said the format and promotion of the Run It Straight events appeared to exploit financially vulnerable people by offering large cash prizes. "It's so hard to say no to this $20,000 carrot hanging in front of you when people right now are finding life pretty tough," she said. Despite its burgeoning popularity, the sport has not been without other detractors in other contact codes over its safety and risk. Former league internationals Dean Lonergan and Mark Carroll have raised concerns over its safety. After representing both Australia and New South Wales during the 1990s, Carroll revealed in 2023 he had been diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Headway also took aim at the involvement of New Zealand Warriors stand-off Chanel Harris-Tavita, who was a special guest at RUNIT's Auckland trial at Trusts Arena on Monday. Other league stars, both current and former, have been involved in the promotion of Run it Straight , including Melbourne and Kiwi forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona and former South Sydney and Great Britain prop George Burgess. "We have contacted New Zealand Warriors to express our serious concern about this association and what message this is sending," Mowbray said. As reported by the NZ Herald , New Zealand Rugby (NZR) had also distanced itself from the sport, believing the sport "carried significant risk of serious injury". Earlier this month, Headway also flagged concerns with Auckland Council, the Mayor's office, elected members and WorkSafe New Zealand about how permits for Run it Straight events were issued. "This is not just a twisted ankle. A concussion, particularly when it's not managed properly, can have really significant impacts," Mowbray said. "How, under the Health and Safety Act, did this permit get approved and how did the promoters provide evidence that they were mitigating the risks?" RUNIT, Auckland Council and the New Zealand Warriors have all been approached for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Aussie dad fighting for life after horrific e-scooter accident
A father-of-three is fighting for his life in a coma after a horrific e-scooter accident which has left him with a number of broken bones and a severe brain injury. Queensland man Michael Valdivia was heading to the shops travelling south along the Springfield Parkway on April 29 when he lost control of his e-scooter and crashed. Emergency services rushed to the scene at about 7.25pm and discovered the 40-year-old - who was not wearing a helmet - had suffered life-threatening injuries. Mr Valdivia's fiancee Sophie-Leigh Barker-McMurray said her partner was only gone for 20 minutes when she received the heartbreaking call from police. Police informed her that Mr Valdivia was 'in a bad way' and advised her to head directly to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. The 27-year-old explained she was on the way to the hospital when she drove past the scene of the crash. Amid the chaos - with four ambulances, multiple police cars and a fire truck - at the scene - she spotted her fiancee and pulled over before running to him. Ms Barker-McMurray went into 'complete shock' and 'collapsed' at the scene as she watched paramedics intubate her fiancee and rush him into an ambulance. A police officer had to drive Ms Barker-McMurray the 30minute journey to the hospital. Doctors took Ms Barker-McMurray, along with her sister who had met her at the hospital, into a private room and told her 'we don't think he's going to survive'. 'They told me I needed to be ready to say goodbye and to make sure I called all five of our kids and prepared them for what might come,' Ms Barker-McMurray told The pair have been together for three years and had booked their flights and accomodation to Bali for their wedding in August just days before the crash. Mr Valdivia suffered extensive injuries including a broken shoulder, clavicle and several metacarpals. Scans also revealed he had multiple brain haemorrhages including one on his brain stem. Doctors rushed him into surgery to fit an intracranial pressure monitor - a device inserted inside the skull to record pressure and vital measurements. Ms Barker-McMurray, who works full-time as a nurse, said she became 'hysterical' when doctors told her that her partner was unlikely to survive the next 72 hours. She was admitted to hospital and was told she was suffering from broken heart syndrome. 'My body completely shut down. I was placed in the room opposite Mikey so I could see him, but I lost consciousness for a while,' Ms Barker-McMurray said. Ms Barkery-McMurray was discharged from hospital shortly after but has barely left her partner's bedside int he three weeks since the crash. Following his surgery, Mr Valdivia was transferred to the ICU and placed in an induced coma. A specialist doctor told Ms Barkey-McMurray that her partner 'won't ever be able to come back' and that if he survives he most-likely will be 'severely disabled'. However, Ms Barkey-McMurray is remaining hopeful as her partner had defied the odds before after he survived a dirt-bike accident where he broke three vertebrae in his spine in May last year. She added her partner had opened his eyes for the first time over the weekend while she and his eldest son were in the room. 'I said, "Baby, do you remember me?" and he blinked once, which I took as a yes. Everyone in the room was cheering and shouting, "Oh my God". It was a really special moment,' Ms Barkey-McMurray said. Ms Barkey-McMurray described her fiancee as the most the love of her life who has the 'most beautiful soul' and is the rock of their blended family. She added Mr Vadivia was the 'rock of their blended family' who helps raise Ms Barkey-McMurray's two children and the three children they share together. A friend of the couple started a GoFundMe to help Ms Barkey-McMurray with living expenses as she is unable to work while Mr Valdivia is in hospital. 'Mikey's fight for life is ongoing, and his family is by his side every step of the way,' the GoFundMe reads. 'Mikey is a loving partner and a devoted dad to five beautiful children: Chloe (14), Cortez (12), Cruz (8), Cooper (8), and Cara (6). 'Until the accident, Mikey worked hard every day to provide for his family. Now, with Sophie spending all her time at the hospital with him, she can no longer work — and the financial stress is building quickly. 'They are struggling to keep their home, pay bills, and care for their children during this heartbreaking time. We're asking for your help.' Ms Barkey-McMurray explained she used her last paycheck to pay the family's $700-a-week rent - which covers them till Tuesday. All funds raised will help the family with rent, basic living expenses, food, clothing, essentials for the children, transport and costs related to Mr Valdivia's care. At the time of writing, the GoFundMe had received 47 donations totalling $5,430 and has the goal of raising $11,000. 'Let's come together and help lift some of this burden so they can focus on what truly matters — hope, healing, and staying strong for Mikey,' the GoFundMe reads.
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Aussie dad, 40, ‘fighting for life' after horrific e-scooter crash
A Queensland dad is currently fighting for his life after suffering a horror e-scooter crash that has left him 'severely brain damaged' just two days after turning 40. Michael Valdivia had just swapped his old dirt bike for the electric device on Facebook Marketplace after being involved in a nasty accident on his off-road motorcycle last May. But after popping to the shops on the new e-scooter on April 29, Mikey — who wasn't wearing a helmet — had another collision. This time, it resulted in a traumatic brain injury that doctors aren't sure he will survive. His fiancee, Sophie-Leigh Barker-McMurray, said the dad-of-three was only gone for 20 minutes when she received a phone call from police telling her Mikey was in a 'bad way'. 'The cop told me to head straight to the hospital because it looked like he might not survive,' the 27-year-old told 'But on my way to the hospital I drove past the scene where Mikey was still being treated on the road, so I pulled over. There were about four ambulances, multiple police cars and a fire truck. 'I ran down, and I could see them intubating him and they put him in an ambo, and I went into complete shock.' Sophie, who works full-time as a nurse, said she 'collapsed' after seeing the state of her partner of three years at the scene, with a police officer having to drive her the 30-minute journey to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. 'Doctors took me into a private room because I wasn't in a good way, but my sister Cassie had met me there, and she was with me when they said, 'we don't think he's going to survive',' Sophie, who has two children of her own, explained. 'They told me I needed to be ready to say goodbye and to make sure I called all five of our kids and prepared them for what might come.' Scans showed Mikey had multiple haemorrhages on his brain, including one on his brain stem, prompting doctors to rush him into surgery to fit an ICP monitor in. An intracranial pressure monitor is a device placed inside the head to record the pressure inside the skull and send vital measurements to a recording device. He also had a number of broken bones, including a shoulder, a clavicle and several metacarpals. After being told her fiance would likely not live past the next 72 hours, Sophie said she became 'hysterical' and was also admitted into hospital, with doctors explaining she was suffering from broken heart syndrome. 'My body completely shut down. I was placed in the room opposite Mikey so I could see him, but I lost consciousness for a while. 'I'm a nurse and I had never even heard of it before. My blood pressure dropped critically low and I was extremely unwell.' Following Mikey's surgery, he was transferred to the ICU. Shortly after, Sophie was strong enough to be discharged, but she camped out by his bedside, praying for her 'perfect' partner to survive. 'His specialist sat down with me and just said, 'we're really sorry, but the Michael you had won't even be able to come back,' Sophie told through tears. 'If he survives, he is going to be severely disabled, and we don't know to what extent. 'It felt like such a sledgehammer to the heart. Mikey is the most beautiful soul I have ever met. The love of my life, the rock of our blended family.' In the three weeks since his accident, Sophie has barely left Mikey's side, as he continues to fight and defy the odds for survival. 'I'm really hopeful, but I am trying not to get my hopes up too much in case he doesn't make it, but yesterday he opened his eyes for myself and his eldest son,' she shared. 'I said, 'Baby, do you remember me?' and he blinked once, which I took as a yes. 'Everyone in the room was cheering and shouting, 'Oh my God'. It was a really special moment.' However, with Mikey unable to work at his construction job, and Sophie spending all her time at the hospital, the family are in a tricky financial situation. A friend has created a GoFundMe page to help cover their living costs. 'Mikey was in a serious E-scooter accident that left him with a severe head injury. He is now in a coma, and heartbreakingly, his condition has barely improved,' it reads. 'Right now, Mikey's fight for life is ongoing, and his family is by his side every step of the way. 'They are struggling to keep their home, pay bills, and care for their children during this heartbreaking time.' Sophie said she used her last paycheck to cover their $700-a-week rent which has them covered until May 20, but after that, she has no idea where she will find the money. 'We've both always worked, and I hate asking for help, but I can't see how else we'll manage,' she said. 'Last year I took three months out of work to care for Mikey after his dirt bike accident, as he broke three vertebrae in his spine. Just a few days before his crash on the e-scooter we'd paid for our flights and accommodation for our Bali wedding in August. 'We just never imagined we'd be in this nightmare situation.' Queensland Police said it was investigating a single vehicle traffic crash which happened at approximately 7.25pm on April 27. 'A man was riding an electric scooter south along Springfield Parkway when he lost control and crashed,' the statement said. 'The 40-year-old was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital with life threatening head injuries. 'Anyone who witnessed the crash or has any relevant dashcam to assist the investigation is asked to come forward.' E-scooters first launched in 2016, with the global market now said to be worth more than $49 billion almost a decade on – as data shows it is growing by 10 per cent each year. But the popular new feature way to travel, often billed as 'eco friendly' and 'cheap', has proved to controversial due to safety and public space concerns. Several cities have now banned the devices, including Paris, San Francisco and Madrid. But Australia has been more welcoming. The vehicles are currently legal to use in Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia and the ACT. In Victoria, and South Australia, trials are currently in place, with NSW just legalised e-scooters and bikes on shared paths and on-road bike lanes last week. They remain illegal on footpaths on the state. Sophie said she doubts their upcoming wedding will go ahead, but is focusing on each day as it comes. 'I've absolutely no idea what the future looks like, but right now, I need to support Mikey and our kids. 'We're all praying for a miracle.'
