Lack of concussion strategy puts sports stars lives at risk

Sports players are risking their lives because of the lack of a cohesive strategy to deal with concussion, the chair of the Oireachtas health committee has warned.

Fine Gael TD Jerry Buttimer said the Oireachtas watchdog will hold a series of high-profile hearings in the autumn to deal with the matter.

“I am concerned about the situation at the moment and think that sports players’ lives could be at risk because there is not enough clarity on how to deal with a player or jockey or sports person who suffers concussion,” he said.

“We need to look at how they should be treated on the pitch, or race track, or wherever it is, and under what circumstances a GAA player or other sports person is allowed back into the game after suffering concussion.

“We have seen some incidents when the recovery time allowed is questionable. And we need to look at the best way to test them for that return to play.

“We need to examine the best way to bring clarity to the situation and decide whether that should be via an across the board set of guidelines or if it would work better on a sport by sport basis.

“This is something that goes across all sports, like GAA, soccer, horse racing, and we need to get it right.

“Jockeys have had some horrific falls and we need to bring people from racing, from the GAA, from rugby, and all the sports into the health committee in order to figure out the best way to deal with this.”

The English Premier League recently brought in rules regarding concussion and the Cork TD cited its stance as a possible way forward for Irish sport.

The GAA already has a 13-page protocol on how clubs should deal with concussion, but Mr Buttimer is urging a more comprehensive look at the situation.

The health committee is to begin investigations next month and will be calling senior medical and sporting figures to give evidence.

The new Premier League rules state that any player suffering a head injury must now leave the pitch and the club doctor, not team management, must decide if the player is capable of returning. There will also be a “tunnel” doctor on match days to help both sides.

Brain injury charity Headway described as “irresponsible and cavalier” a decision by Tottenham Hotspur management to allow goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to play on after he lost consciousness in a game against Everton last season.