A parliamentary inquiry in New South Wales is examining whether emerging contact sports such as Run Nation and Power Slap should be classified as combat sports. The move aims to bring stricter safety regulations to activities that involve high‑speed collisions and face‑slapping, which experts say carry serious injury risks.
Run Nation, a game in which two participants sprint toward each other and collide at speed, has already attracted controversy. In September, a NSW Supreme Court judge ruled the event a combat sport, upholding a cancellation notice issued by the Combat Sports Authority (CSA). The event was later rescheduled for 28 November after the CSA’s medical advisory board approved a permit.
Power Slap, a competition where players take turns slapping each other across the face, has yet to host an official event in Australia but has drawn attention from safety regulators.
Neurologist Dr Rowena Mobbs, an expert in concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), told the inquiry that collision running and Power Slap are “worse than eye‑gouging” and should be deemed a “king‑hit.” She warned that death is a distinct possibility and that no modification could make the sports safer.
Dr Mobbs cited a 19‑year‑old who died in New Zealand last year after a critical head injury while playing a tackling game inspired by the viral “run it straight” challenge. Run Nation’s organisers claim their version is a safer alternative, turning rugby league “hit‑ups” into a sport.
Chair of the CSA, Darren Kane, said the authority would prefer new combat sports to be regulated, with mandatory ambulance and medical support staff. He noted that “if it was a regulated event, there’d be all these systems in place, and the people would have accreditations, they would have done concussion training, there would be doctors mandated at the events.”
Run Nation organisers have stated that their events include on‑field doctors and paramedics. The inquiry has not yet heard from either competition’s organisers but has received submissions from medical experts, bareknuckle boxing and grassroots combat sports groups.
Source: The Guardian World
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