Oireachtas report recommends State funding be linked to concussion measures

One of the key recommendations of an Oireachtas Joint Committee report on ‘Concussion in Sport’ is that “State funding for sporting organisations should be linked to the completion of sports concussion training courses for referees, medical professionals and coaches”.

The move is one of 14 key recommendations that also include a call on Government to consider establishing a ‘Taskforce on Sports Concussion’ to implement the recommendations of the report and also that incidences of “concussion in children and younger people should also be managed differently, with a longer period of rest from sports and other activities, such as homework and computer games etc”.

The report also calls for compulsory recording of sports-related concussion incidents in schools and sporting activities involving children.

In launching the report on Wednesday, committee chairman Jerry Buttimer said: "As a country, if we don't have a coherent strategy on sports concussion, we will put the lives of our sports stars at risk.

“As a Committee, we are particularly concerned at recent developments in Irish sport. The pace of games can be far more intense, while players are getting heavier and the number of tackles is increasing.”

The 14 key recommendations of the report are

1. The Committee supports the Zurich 2012 Guidelines and its application across Irish sports disciplines at all ages. As a general principal, it is essential that any players experiencing or displaying symptoms of concussion are immediately removed from play, regardless of pitch-side assessment, and that they follow a graduated return to play protocol.

2. The Committee strongly urges the acceleration of research on sports and concussion in Ireland. International co-operation, involving the pooling of data, may be the best way forward and could add a valuable insight into the condition.

3. A collaborative approach should underpin the Government’s approach to embedding the Zurich Guidelines in Irish sport with the aim of reducing sports concussion risks.

4. Despite considerable achievements by the IRFU and the GAA, the Committee identified the need for a more consistent approach to concussion management across sporting codes and between sporting organisations and educational institutions.

5. For example, IRFU Return to Play guidelines differ markedly from GAA guidelines. In addition, although individual schools have policies on sports-related concussion, these are developed on an ad hoc basis and lack consistency.

6. In order to address such issues, the Committee recommends that the Government consider establishing a Taskforce on Sports Concussion to implement the recommendations of this Report.

7. This Task Force should include representatives from the medical community; the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland and Headway Ireland; the Departments of Health, Children and Youth Affairs, Education and Skills, representatives from key sporting codes, and nominees from Comhairle na n-Óg.

8. The Taskforce should:

– consider what measures should be taken by the IRFU/GAA/FAI and other disciplines to develop a joint educational and awareness programme to improve awareness of sports-related concussion;

– devise standard guidance on concussion diagnosis and Return to Play protocols for dissemination to players, parents, coaches, medics, schools and sporting organisations;

- make recommendations on rule changes in specific sporting disciplines in order to minimise the impact of sports-related concussion. For example, the Taskforce should consider measures to relax rules on substitution for concussed players.

9. A number of stakeholders stress that helmets do not protect against concussion. Some have recommended that helmets be banned from certain sports as they provide a false sense of security and may even cause further damage to the neck. Notwithstanding the recognised need for helmets and other protective headgear in certain sports including in the game of hurling where it is obligatory to wear one, the Taskforce should make recommendations on this issue, based on up-to-date medical advice.

10. As part of their overall management, it is recommended that all athletes diagnosed with concussion should have a clinical neurological assessment. However, the Committee recognises that access to neurologists or neuropsychologists can be difficult.

11. Concussion clinics should be more readily available and GP awareness of these clinics needs to be increased.

12. Concussion in children and younger people should also be managed differently, with a longer period of rest from sports and other activities, such as homework and computer games etc. The Taskforce should examine what actions are needed to standardise Return to Play advice for children and young people across the public/private education system and across sporting codes.

13. The Committee strongly recommends the compulsory recording of sports-related concussion incidents in schools and sporting activities involving children, in line with Health and Safety and Child Safety standards. The Sports and Concussion Taskforce should examine how this can practically be achieved.

14. State funding for sporting organisations should be linked to the completion of sports concussion training courses for referees, medical professionals and coaches.