MPs to hear from athletes, campaigners and governing bodies on brain injury in sport

Purpose of the session

The perspective of players on awareness and management of head trauma will be the focus of the first two panels, hearing first-hand accounts of brain injury from two former Team GB athletes. Dawn Astle, campaigner and daughter of the former England footballer Jeff Astle whose death in 2002 prompted research into the link between heading the ball and dementia, will also give evidence.

In the final panel, MPs will question governing bodies on their response to the available evidence on the links between head trauma in sport and neurodegenerative disease. The Chief Medical Officers at the FA, World Rugby and Team GB boxing and snow sports and the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union will be questioned on how medical research informs decisions about the rules of their sports and care for players. Guidance and oversight of how concussion is managed at professional, amateur and grassroots level will also be explored.

Witnesses

Tuesday 23 March

From 10am

Panel 1

• Monica Petrosino, former Team GB ice hockey
• Eleanor Furneaux, former Team GB skeleton bobsleigh

At approx. 10.30am

Panel 2

• Dawn Astle, Jeff Astle Foundation 
• Chris Sutton, former professional footballer, Jeff Astle Foundation
• Professor John Fairclough, Progressive Rugby 
• Kyran Bracken, former professional rugby player, Progressive Rugby

At approx. 11.15am

Panel 3

• Dr Charlotte Cowie, Chief Medical Officer, Football Association
• Professor Mike Loosemore, Chief Medical Officer, Team GB, Boxing and Snow sports
• Dr Éanna Falvey, Chief Medical Officer, World Rugby
• Bill Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer, Rugby Football Union

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: Parliamentary copyright