Death a ‘distinct possibility’ in collision running and face-slapping competitions, inquiry hears

Impacts in emerging contact sports are akin to coward punches and cannot be made safer with regulation, neurologist says

Collision running and face-slapping competitions have similar impacts to that of a coward punch or “king-hit”, with death a “distinct possibility”, a concussion expert has told a parliamentary inquiry.

A New South Wales 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 considered combat sports to better regulate the safety of participants.