Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

A young man died in Palmerston North after taking part in a dangerous activity called “Run It Straight”, where two people sprint at each other and try to tackle as hard as they can. This isn’t a sport—it’s a high-risk game that can cause serious brain injuries, especially in young people whose brains are still developing. We are warning that concussions and long-term brain damage can result from these hits. Organisers say they want to “give back to the community”, but these events don’t raise money for good causes—they just promote harmful behaviour. As trauma clinicians, we are calling for urgent action to ban these events, remove the videos online and protect our young people from further harm.