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New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is joining a chorus of condemnation for a viral rugby tackle challenge after a teenager died from a head injury.
Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, died in Palmerston North on Monday.
The teenager had taken part in the “run it straight” tackle challenge, which sees competitors with no protective gear run head-on at each other, with a group of friends.
The game, which has garnered significant attention on social media, aims to imitate the collisions that occur when rugby players clash.
“All I can say to young adults who are participating is you’ve got some personal responsibility in this,” Mr Luxon told local media on Friday.
“You’re hearing the advice from police, from the medical fraternity, from government, from principals saying don’t do it.
“To the adults that are involved in more formal organisation of it and are influencing it and leading this out on social media, I think you need to stop and I can’t be any clearer.
“The evidence is that it’s a dumb thing to do and you should stop.”
Organised “run it straight” competitions have been held in Australia and New Zealand over the past year.
The trend has attracted widespread condemnation from politicians and the New Zealand medical community, particularly those working in the field of head injuries.
New Zealand Rugby, which along with the rest of the rugby world over the last decade has been looking at ways to reduce head injuries in the game, extended its condolences to Mr Satterthwaite’s family in a statement earlier this week.
“We urge people not to take part in run it straight games or competitions as they carry significant risk of serious injury,” the statement read.
“Those wanting to play contact sports should register for a school or club team and learn in a controlled and safe environment how to tackle safely and the art of evasion.”
Police Inspector Ross Grantham said Mr Satterthwaite’s death was an “absolute tragedy”.
“The tackle game played by the group of friends was based on a social media-driven trend, where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear,” Mr Grantham said.
“While this was an impromptu game among friends, not a planned event, this tragic outcome does highlight the inherent safety concerns with such an activity.
“We would urge anyone thinking about taking part in a game or event like this to consider the significant safety and injury risks.”