Teen dies after deadly 'run it straight' challenge in NZ!

Teen dies after deadly 'run it straight' challenge in NZ!

There was a tragic incident in New Zealand: a 19-year-old died in the viral test of courage “Run-it-straight”. The boy suffered a serious head injury on the country's North Island last weekend. After being taken to the hospital, he died on Monday night oe24 reported.

The Run It Straight Challenge originated in rugby and has gone viral on social networks such as Instagram and TikTok. In this competition, two participants face each other 20 meters, with one holding the rugby ball. They then rush towards each other with full force and collide without any protection such as helmets or shoulder pads. The winner is the one who survives the collision, which adds to the dangers of this challenge, as Mirror elaborates further.

Security risk warnings

Police have issued urgent warnings about the safety and injury risks of such high-profile games. Experts warn that dares like “Run-it-straight” pose significant health risks. In particular, the dangers of concussions and other head injuries are a major issue, particularly given current debates about long-term consequences in contact sports such as rugby and American football.Headway, an organization that advocates for brain-injured people, strongly condemns such competitions.

Previous studies have shown that sports such as rugby and American football may be linked to an increased risk of degenerative brain diseases. A well-known syndrome mentioned is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can result in aggressive behavior, depression and dementia. Head blows are also linked to other serious illnesses such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease Sky observed.

Need for change in the sports world

The issue of head injuries is not limited to New Zealand. In the context of sports such as soccer and American football, it is becoming increasingly clear that such injuries are often handled too carelessly. In England, steps have already been taken to better protect children and young people. Since 2019, children between the ages of 6 and 11 are no longer allowed to do heading exercises and from U12 onwards such exercises are severely restricted.

The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich has found that damage to the white matter of the brain is common in professional footballers. In the long term, this could lead to serious illnesses such as dementia. Charlotte Cowie, chief medical officer of the Football Association, is calling for more education and research into these risks, while the German Football Association (DFB) is calling for a slower introduction of heading training. Nevertheless, a ban on heading exercises is rejected, which experts criticize as insufficient.

Overall, recent tragedies such as the death of the 19-year-old in New Zealand demonstrate a clear and urgent need for action to ensure the safety of athletes, particularly young athletes.