Sports
Ban Children From Heading Ball, Campaigner Urges
Young tennis player discovered during a national youth event in Port Harcourt, Rivers State recently.
A leading campaigner on head injuries in sport has called for a ban on children heading the ball when playing football.
Chris Nowinski is a former professional wrestler and suffered from concussion because of regular blows to the head when playing college American football.
Nowinski told Tide Sports source “In football, introduce heading at a later age.”
He also said that children should not be allowed to play contact sports.
“Who thinks it’s a good idea to hit a 10-year-old in the head 200 or 300 times a season?”
He added: “If we have so many other options out there, like we get them running and being active, why play sports which include hundreds of blows to the head, knowing how bad the consequences are?
“It’s much smarter to do it when they’re teenagers and in their 20s when the brain is more developed and there are medical people on the sidelines during games.
“We can still play those games without contact but who thinks it’s a good idea to hit a 10-year-old in the head 200 or 300 times a season?”
Nowinski suffered a serious concussion in June 2003, but due to a lack of understanding about his symptoms, he continued to wrestle and work out for five weeks while symptomatic.
He developed post-concussion syndrome and was forced to retire.
Since then, he has co-founded the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a non-profit organisation dedicated to studying sports concussion through education, policy, and research.
Nowinski added that the concussion doctor who treated him said “no sport should have repetitive brain trauma and tolerate it before they reach high school, age 14”.
He said: “A new study came out in the US two days ago showing repetitive brain trauma is still causing brain damage.
“Based on all this research, we know we’re giving some of those kids”.
The championship will run from today to October 12 at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia. On the ground for the championship are athletes from Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda. They arrived on Sunday.
Some of the other countries were expected in the Abia State capital yesterday. Speaking on the championship, yesterday, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Nwobilor Ananaba, said the chief host, Governor Alex Otti, has mobilised facilities and the personnel to ensure a successful event.
Speaking through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Raymond Chima Ukwa, said: “We have the best mats, playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.
“If you go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable world-class playing field.” Thrilled by Governor Otti’s support for the competition, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) President, Francis Orbih, said that, besides making all the necessary arrangements that will ensure a successful hosting of the events, “we will have a Para-Badminton workshop for coaches and players.
“Nigeria is doing well, Abia is doing well, and we want to do better to improve on where we are, which is why all these have been put together by Governor Otti.”
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles began their campaign at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup with a narrow 1–0 loss to Norway on Monday, despite creating several opportunities to level the game.
Norway took the lead in the 9th minute after being awarded a controversial penalty. The Flying Eagles pressed for an equaliser but were denied two penalty claims in the second half.
Kparobo Arierhi came close in the 47th minute when his shot drifted wide with the goalkeeper beaten, while Tahir Maigana struck the upright in the 63rd minute.
Nasiru Salihu’s rising effort in the 71st minute also went narrowly over the bar, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Seven minutes from time, Maigana again tested Norway with a long-range strike that went just wide as Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure.
Despite their dominance, the Flying Eagles could not find the breakthrough and now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Saudi Arabia in their second group match.
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