There are mounting calls of concern over the controversial Runit Championship League, which made its City of Sails debut on Monday night, with Auckland Council officials unable to stop events taking place.
The Runit Championship League will stage two trial days to be held at TrustsArena on Monday and Wednesday nights this week, with 16 players competing for prizes of $20,000. The top eight earn a spot in the final, which will be held in June – where the winner takes home a baffling $200,000.
It is the biggest of the three entities running similar events across Auckland over the next week, including Run it Straight and New Zealand-based Up the Guts.
Stacey Mowbray, chief executive of Headway – a concussion and brain injury education charity – is outraged that dangerous events like this are able to take place, and using professional athletes, including Warriors playmaker Chanel Harris-Tavita to promote the event.
Harris-Tavita attended the trial on Monday as a guest judge, as a one off to help a friend associated with the event.
Chanel Harris-Tavita at the event. Photo / Runit.au
Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson says the venues staging the events are managed independently and do not require an event permit from the council to hold the events, meaning they don’t have the ability to decline them.
Simpson says she is aware of concerns, and hopes participants consider the risks before taking part.
Mowbray says its outrageous events like this are able to take place.
“We’d love to see Auckland Council step in - anyone who issued the permit – to realise this is unacceptable,” Mowbray told the Herald.
“Not just for participants, but for all the young people watching. We’d love to see someone with the power step in and shut it down.
“We’re also calling on role models within rugby and rugby league to say this is not how you prove how tough you are.
“Go out and play a sport that has referees and clear concussion guidelines. Prove how tough you are on that field – not in this ridiculous, dangerous spectacle.
“It’s outrageous that people are choosing to collide at full speed into each other. There’s absolutely no way to mitigate that risk.”
Professor Patria Hume, a sports scientist and injury prevention expert at Auckland University of Technology, is also hitting out at the concept, saying it’s “a step backwards” in athlete safety.
Hume is calling on event organisers, sponsors and public health authorities to reconsider the promotion of similar events.
“The deliberate design of this event to maximise impact is not only irresponsible –it’s scientifically indefensible,” said Hume.
“We’ve spent years building evidence-based strategies to reduce head and neck injuries in rugby and contact sports. This event ignores all of that.”
The concept is being touted as the world’s fiercest new combat sport that attempts to mirror the physical collisions seen in rugby league, union and AFL matches weekly, with an emphasis on social media clicks, amassing over 50 million views in the last four weeks.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has previously attempted to distance itself from the concept.
“NZR does not have any association with the international Runit events or similar amateur events, which we believe carry significant risk of serious injury,” NZ Rugby told the Herald last month.
Mowbray believes the large prize pool is targeting vulnerable people, which is setting a dangerous precedent.
“They know people will find it really difficult to say no to potential prizemoney. It’s really upsetting to see these groups targeted,” said Mowbray.
“Yes, you could win and take away some money, but the evidence and science around the potential risks are just so huge.
“It’s terrifying that people will put their lives at risk for this money.”
Former NRL and English international George Burgess has been promoting the event in Australia and even took part in an exhibition, running full speed at Super Rugby powerhouse and Fijian international Nemani Nadolo.
“People want to see competition and this is definitely the purest form of that – two guys up against each other and one’s going to come off the best," Burgess told the Herald.
Burgess said there is risk “in the UFC, rugby league, union, any sport. We’re not different here, but we will be going to the best measures to make sure the players are protected and prepared”.
“We’re not getting anyone in off the street, we’re vetting the athletes ... they’re athletes that know what they’re doing, they know how to hit and how to protect themselves.”
The Herald understands at least two of the eight competitors in the first Melbourne final were knocked unconscious.
Last month, the Herald revealed a man was knocked unconscious and suffered an apparent seizure during a similar event not associated with Runit in Australia as hundreds of children looked on.
