The Run Nation Championship is set to return to Sydney on November 28, after the controversial collision event was stopped by the NSW Supreme Court in September. Organisers have announced plans to stage it at Royal Randwick Racecourse, although the event will require regulatory approval before it can proceed.
The original contest was cancelled after Justice Richard Coleman ruled that run-it-straight was a combat sport under New South Wales law and therefore subject to a different regulatory framework.
In the event, competitors run directly towards one another and attempt to “win” the resulting collision. Organisers had argued that the contest did not need to be regulated by the NSW Combat Sports Authority.
Justice Coleman rejected that position, saying: “The wording in the code describing the contact as a ‘tackle’ cannot alter the fact RNC (Run Nation Championship) is a collision sport.”
He said a combat sport was one in which “the primary objective of each combatant … is to strike, kick, hit, grapple with, throw or punch one or more other combatants”.
Run-it-straight contests have become increasingly popular in recent years, with events widely watched by young rugby league fans on social media.
The proposed relaunch comes a week before a NSW parliamentary committee is due to examine how emerging combat sports should be regulated. Bare-knuckle boxing, power slap events and collision contests such as Run Nation have been identified by the authority as sports requiring appropriate monitoring and safeguards.
Regulators and brain trauma experts have raised particular concerns about backyard and underground contests because of the dangers they pose to participants. Ryan Satterthwaite, a 19-year-old from New Zealand, died from a serious head injury sustained during an impromptu game of run-it-straight with friends in 2019.
Cognitive neurologist Rowena Mobbs told the inquiry: “This ‘super-stimulus’ form (of) violence cannot be tolerated in our society, nor should we risk parental and social media exposure to children.”
For the November event to go ahead legally, Run Nation must apply to the NSW Combat Sports Authority for a permit and comply with the rules governing combat sports events.
Run Nation chief executive Tremaine Fernandez said after the September ruling that it would be only a temporary setback. “RNC is here to stay and … we’re excited to work with the Combat Sports Authority and the opportunities that may bring,” he said.
Former NRL players linked to Run Nation include ex-Sydney Roosters forward Dylan Napa and former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs forward Sam Kasiano.
