Australia introduces concussion guidance for grassroots sport

MELBOURNE – Amateur and young athletes in Australia will be sidelined for a minimum of 21 days after suffering a concussion if new sporting guidelines released on Feb 1 are adopted.

The Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) protocols bring the country in line with Britain, which introduced a 21-day break for amateur athletes last April amid concerns about the impact of repetitive head trauma in community sport.

Australia has mandated concussion break periods in professional sport for years, but the new Youth and Community Sport protocols will advise amateur athletes for the first time. The changes follow an Australian senate inquiry into concussion in 2023 which recommended the development of return-to-play protocols for head injuries in amateur sport.

The AIS guidelines advise stricter protocols for athletes aged under 19, including a requirement to be completely free of concussion symptoms for 14 days before a return to contact training. The guidelines also recommend schools and clubs appoint “concussion officers” to ensure the protocols are followed.

“It’s important to manage all instances of concussion with an abundance of caution,” AIS chief medical officer David Hughes said in a statement.

“A conservative management approach is needed for people aged under 19 who have growing brains and are at risk of prolonged recovery times, as well as for community sport where advanced health care support is often not available.”

Australian sports have been hit with a rash of lawsuits from former players who say they suffered brain injuries from repeated concussions suffered while playing in competition. A group of more than 50 amateur former rugby players also launched legal action against rugby authorities in England and Wales in 2023, accusing them of failing to put in place reasonable measures to protect them from brain injuries during their playing days.

The rugby bodies have said in response that player welfare is their top priority and they are committed to leading the welfare agenda in sport. Victorian Greens senator Janet Rice – who chaired the senate inquiry – said the new guidelines are a “huge step forward in Australian sport”.

“As we heard time and time again during the inquiry and in over 90 submissions, the dangers of concussions are clear – people’s lives have been shattered and families have lost loved ones because of the impact of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (a brain disorder linked to repeated head injuries),” she added. REUTERS