Key facts
- Neurologist Dr Rowena Mobbs told the inquiry collision running and Power Slap should be deemed a king-hit.
- Mobbs said she did not think any form of modification would make the sports safer.
- Combat Sports Authority of NSW chair Darren Kane said he would prefer new combat sports be regulated with mandated medical staff.
- Run Nation organizers have said their events include on-field doctors and paramedics.
- Power Slap has yet to host an official event in Australia.
- The inquiry is expected to report back in December.
A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry was told on November 6, 2026 that collision running and face-slapping competitions carry a distinct possibility of death and have similar impacts to a coward punch, according to neurologist Dr Rowena Mobbs. The inquiry is examining whether emerging competitions such as Run Nation, in which two players run at each other and collide at high speed, and Power Slap, where players take turns slapping each other across the face, should be considered combat sports to better regulate participant safety. The report was published by The Guardian.
Mobbs, an expert in concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, told the inquiry she did not think there was any form of modification that would make the sports safer. She said collision running and Power Slap are worse than eye-gouging and should be deemed a king-hit. She said she did not recall treating any patients with injuries from collision running or Power Slap, but the stronger impacts meant a lower number of impacts could trigger a neurodegenerative disease later in life.
A 19-year-old died in New Zealand last year after suffering a critical head injury playing a tackling game believed to have been inspired by the viral run it straight challenge. Run Nation's organizers have claimed their competition is a safer version, turning rugby league hit-ups into a sport. The inquiry was established in August. In September, a NSW supreme court judge ruled Run Nation was a combat sport, upholding a cancellation notice for a Sydney event that month from the Combat Sports Authority of NSW. The event has been rescheduled for November 28 after the authority's medical advisory board approved its permit. Power Slap has yet to host an official event in Australia.
Darren Kane, chair of the CSA, told the inquiry on November 6 he would prefer to see new combat sports regulated, with mandated ambulance and medical support staff. He said a regulated event would have systems in place, accredited people with concussion training and mandated doctors, whereas unregulated events were pot luck. Run Nation's organizers have said their events include on-field doctors and paramedics.
Petero Taremwa, founder of Get That Guap fight club, which hosts mixed martial arts, kickboxing and boxing fights without a promoter's licence, said the cost of participation was a serious barrier to fighters, while organizers faced significant costs from permits, insurance, venues and medical services. He said GTG events had always had a nurse who is also the DJ to look at fighters right after the fight. Under questioning from inquiry chair Labor MLC Sarah Kaine, he said he did not think he knew better than the CSA, but that the cost of on-site ambulances required under regulation was unreasonable for an entry-level organizer. The inquiry is expected to report back in December.