Aberdeen Grammar chairman Gordon Thomson has raised his concerns that World Rugby and the SRU are not doing enough to highlight the increased risks of concussion to female rugby players.
Following the death of Scotland international Siobhan Cattigan and an increasing amount of research into females and the impacts of concussion, Thomson commissioned medicolegal expert Dr Marshall Garrett to carry out a review.
Dr Garrett concluded in his report that there was “undoubtedly a greater risk to female rugby players of sustaining a concussional injury during rugby participation.”
The Aberdeen Grammar chairman says he first raised the issue with the SRU 18 months ago and has presented his report to the SRU but is still waiting on guidance on the matter, although a meeting is arranged for January 5.
Thomson says he has been left with no choice but to ask female players at the Aberdeen club to sign a legal waiver which highlights the increased risk to women before they participate in contact rugby.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Thomson said: “These are our findings, we think there is a need for further training and training of GPs in enhanced concussion with specific input on the biomechanics of the female body and how concussions have a different impact on them.
“This needs to be recognised. It’s wrong to go on the premise that women are the same as men.
“When you’re dealing with physical impacts and their neck structure, you can’t say that a 19-stone fully developed male and a nine-stone female have the same neck structure.
“Therefore, acceleration of the head is far greater in the female and more damage can be caused.”
He added: “The balance of probability is that females are more at risk and we have to warn them.
“That’s why I have written up an informed consent form and put it on our website.
“It now needs to be endorsed by the SRU in a similar format and I hope next year to have that incorporated into our annual membership forms.
“There will have to be checks that everyone has been educated on this.”
Governing bodies urged to do more
Dr Garrett believes World Rugby and the SRU must do more to highlight the increased risk to female players.
He said: “Their position of not making changes or provision or not informing women of the evidence that shows they have an increased risk, cannot be supported from a medical or conscience point of view.
“Yes, one could say they are dragging their heels, being slow, saying they need more research etc but that just kicks the can down the road for another five, six, ten years.
“A more jaundiced view would be to say that money is being put in front of player safety.”
He added: “Women are participating in a collision sport and are unaware that they have an increased risk of sustaining a concussion and also have an increased risk of having more severe long-lasting symptoms than male counterparts.
“The lack of disclosure of that information given the overwhelming evidence to support that viewpoint, I have to view it as morally inappropriate.”
An SRU statement read: “Scottish Rugby held an informative and productive meeting with Dr Garrett and Gordon Thomson in October and agreed to share their report with World Rugby to help wider understanding of the information it presented regarding female concussion.”
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