- Hundreds of delegates come together for the annual World Rugby Medical Commission Conference
- Conference hears from NFL, FIFPRO and global academic experts
- Player welfare reaffirmed as rugby’s top priority
Delegates at the 16th annual World Rugby Medical Conference, held in Lisbon, Portugal, have heard about the continued progress on player welfare in rugby.
More than 100 medical leads, coaches and academic experts came together to discuss the latest welfare advancements, much of which is being driven by the huge levels of data generated by new smart mouthguard technology.
The two-day Medical Commission conference, held alongside the Rugby Science Network Live heard how the 200,000 head acceleration events recorded so far are transforming understanding of what it means to play rugby and player performance at the elite level.
The conference also heard:
- How other sports such as the NFL and football gather player welfare data and manage player load
- How coaching and strength and conditioning programmes are looking to reduce rates of concussion in the women’s game in Canada
- Updates from expert working groups on concussion, women’s welfare, player load and immediate pitchside care, injured player charities and the regional welfare committees.
The full recording of the event has been published online at world.rugby and is available to view for free:
Medical Commission Conference
Speaking after the Medical Commission Conference, World Rugby Chief Player Welfare and Rugby Services Officer Mark Harrington was upbeat about the work taking place across the sport. Harrington said: “Sometimes medical research can feel a little removed from the real world but in rugby the work being undertaken around the world is the driving force behind change in our game. Whether it is law or regulation change, updated protocols to make the game safer or technology like smart mouthguards, we’re following the science for the benefit everyone involved in the sport.
“The sessions at this year’s conference are now up online for anyone to view to free and it will once again prove to be a valuable resource for years to come.”
