Report says rugby is a form of ‘child abuse’ and should be banned for under-18s

Researchers believe children should no longer participate in sports such as rugby. (representative)

London:

A new report from British academics says the risk of serious head injuries in rugby union means it has become a form of child abuse and should be banned for under-18s.

The sport, which has just celebrated its bicentenary, folklore has it began in 1823 when William Webb Ellis played football at Rugby School in central England.

But researchers believe children should no longer participate in sports such as rugby, which carries the risk of head contact, or sports such as boxing, which allow blows to the skull.

They also said parents were kept in the dark about the long-term risks of brain damage because rugby was offered in schools without the children’s informed consent.

A report published by academics from the University of Winchester, Nottingham Trent University and Bournemouth University said such high-intensity exercise should be considered “abuse” of children’s brains.

They examined medical evidence about sports that could cause serious brain injuries and concluded that such injuries violated child abuse laws.

Eric Anderson, professor of physical education at the University of Winchester, who led the study, told The Times: “Children’s sport should not deliberately harm their brains.

“They should be focusing on fun, health and social development rather than having them play sport at an elite level.

“These collisions cause cognitive impairment and increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia; therefore they abuse children’s brains.”

The report comes in the week leading up to the annual Six Nations, European rugby’s most important international competition.

An RFU spokeswoman defended the 15-a-side rules, telling The Times: “Player welfare has been and will continue to be our top priority… There is a risk of targeting young people in schools or clubs in England. The different formats of rugby – contact, reduced contact and non-contact.

“Rugby has established and is at the forefront of concussion and injury surveillance, education and legal change, using evidence to proactively manage player welfare.”

The research comes as a group of nearly 300 former players, including England World Cup winners Steve Thompson and Phil Vickery, take legal action over brain injuries.

The players claim World Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union and the RFU failed to put in place reasonable measures to protect their health and safety.

Injuries from head impacts are said to lead to conditions such as motor neurone disease, dementia praecox, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

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