Death ‘a distinct possibility’ in collision running and face-slapping competitions, concussion expert tells NSW inquiry
Neurologist Dr Rowena Mobbs compares emerging sports to a ‘king-hit’ as a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry considers regulating them as combat sports
A concussion expert has told a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry that collision running and face-slapping competitions carry a ‘distinct possibility’ of death, likening their impact to a coward punch or king-hit. The inquiry is examining whether emerging competitions such as Run Nation, in which two players run at each other and collide at high speed, and Power Slap, where players take turns slapping each other across the face, should be classified as combat sports to improve participant safety.