Headed by several former judges, the panel investigating CONCACAF has found that Warner “pocketed” the money without reporting it as income, and noted his previous convictions of corruption prior to the grant. While an FFA spokesperson has claimed that funding for its World Cup bid campaign met the requirements of the Australian government and has been “completely transparent”, as ABC News reports, the incident has raised concerns over other grants it gave to soccer organisations in 2010. The FFA maintains that it was not aware of this alleged misuse of funds until the panel’s report was released; the panel determined that Warner “committed fraud and misappropriated funds” and in doing so, breached his fiduciary duties to CONCACAF. After the release of the findings, Warner has resigned as the Minister of Security of Tobago and Trinidad, while the FFA has written to CONCACAF with regards to what actions will be required from this point.

As The Daily Telegraph reported, Raudonikis is “sticking by the game that made him a legend”, and pointed out that “these things can happen” in contact sport. As we reported in the March edition of #*it Happens, the media and research institutions have had a strong focus recently on the risk of head injuries during high contact sports. To prevent the catastrophic consequences of continuing to play with a concussion, the NRL recently modified its guidelines for the management of concussion, based on research conducted over a number of years in AFL and NRL. However Kedzlie’s death and the fact that it was inflicted during a ‘very standard’ tackle has highlighted the debate over whether more can be done to prevent head injuries in sports. President of NSW Schools Rugby Union, Colin Murray, reported to ABC News that the idea of weight restrictions that categorise players based on a weight range is “on the agenda at the moment”.

The convener of the most competitive level of high-school football, GPS, suggests that such a measure is likely to be soon introduced, as it would “allay fears” about the risks of collisions between smaller players and players of bigger, stronger stature.  On the topic of headgear as a protective measure against head injuries, Mr Murray stated that it can cause players to be ‘reckless’, as they feel protected and thus take more risks. On the contrary, head trauma specialist Dr Burns told the Central Western Daily that he believes headgear in league and union has a significant role in protecting players from head injury, but pointed out that ‘tackling’ is the main concern of head injuries in league. Headgear is not currently mandatory in rugby league, and only a “very small percentage” of GPS players reportedly wear it. Before further guidelines are implemented, Mr Murray suggested that there should be a focus on safer tackling practice and harsher sanctions for aggressive play.

As ABC News reports, despite Mr Raudonikis stating that rugby is a “safe game for the kids”, he admitted that his rugby career saw him “knocked out plenty of times, [with] broken cheek bones” and said that rugby is a “hard game played by hard men”. But the game is one of the most popular amongst schoolboys; on the same day that his grandson’s fatal injury occurred, another 15-year-old boy was transported to the Royal North Shore Hospital by helicopter after being knocked out and sustaining a back injury during a game. While the boy is in a stable condition, concussion Professor Dr Donnelly told The Daily Examiner that changing tackling rules and a “change in sporting culture” is vital for sports officials to “take concussion seriously”. 

However Mr Gay said the Council’s own safety audit, conducted over 30 days in response to the petition, found that the behaviour of pedestrians at the crossing “set off alarm bells” and posed “significant public safety concerns” for pedestrians and vehicles. While no car accidents were reported during the period, Mr Gay cited footage of “cars queuing up” at green traffic lights waiting for pedestrians to move along the crossing. 15 incidents were reported, which were mainly people sitting or lying on the crossing and posing for photographs. The audit recommended “improvements to reduce or eliminate potential safety issues for road users”, while those opposing the removal on social media sites suggested signage telling pedestrians not to loiter would be a more “gay-friendly” move than “painting the rainbow black”. Steps taken to reduce risk must be a balanced decision that takes into account the reduction in quality of life that the steps cause, as well as the level of consequence and the likelihood. Lismore Mayor Jenny Dowell told ABC News that Sydney’s rainbow crossing has seen gay activists exert pressure for a similar crossing in the lead-up to the 40^th anniversary of the Aquarius Festival, which celebrates “alternative lifestyles”. Ms Dowell said that the RMS pointed out that because a rainbow crossing is not ‘standard’, the person who painted it would be “liable for any accident that happened on the crossing”, and commented that people should be warned of the “public liability on a main street.”

Mr Gay was supported by road safety experts in the decision to remove the crossing, who have agreed that anything but the “regulatory zebra colours” for crosswalk markings could be confusing, and recommend a replacement ‘rainbow’ near Oxford Street away from pedestrian traffic and cars. The rainbow was removed on April 10, and with it the risk of fatalities and injuries stemming from the colourful crossing.

As CNN News reports, a “flood of digital evidence” sent into the FBI saw intelligence being developed within 24 hours of the public appeal, and the men were identified as brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, aged 26 and 19 respectively. A shootout between police and the suspects at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took place that night, with a campus police officer and suspect Tamerlan being shot dead. With Dzhokhar escaping police, the Boston metropolitan area was effectively shut down for almost 24 hours in a manhunt for Dzhokhar, who was found by residents hiding in his own backyard in Waterton. Having allegedly shot himself in the throat in a suicide attempt, Dzhokhar was taken to hospital in critical condition, where he remains “unable to speak” but communicating in writing to authorities that he and his brother “acted alone”. Dzhokhar has been charged with “using a weapon of mass destruction” and “malicious destruction of property by means of deadly explosives” as ABC News reports.

Among those killed was 8-year-old Martin Richard and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, who were spectators at the finish line, and Chinese National Lingzi Lu who was partaking in the marathon. The London Marathon took place 6 days after this atrocity in a climate of heightened security, which unquestionably has significant implications for security and risk management for public events and entertainment venues where a large number of people gather without increased security measures, such as that of an airport or high-profile corporate buildings.

The 22-year-old fullback is due to meet with NRL boss Dave Smith to discuss whether he has any chance of a comeback this year. The case serves to raise awareness of the risks and reach of content posted on social media that can be spread to thousands of followers and potential employers with just a ‘tap’ of a smartphone.  Raiders Captain Dave Shillington told the Daily Telegraph that footballers “have a responsibility to behave” themselves and “cop the criticism”, and suggested that Dugan should “get help”.

With easy access to the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram sites, based on his recent behaviour Dugan may be viewed as a liability to any NRL club that takes him on. The outcome of the meeting with Smith is yet to be determined, but it is certain, according to The Courier Mail, that the Broncos will continue to search for a new ‘star player.’

Sports bloggers and other sportspeople expressed outrage online at the homework debacle. Former England skipper, Michael Vaughan tweeted an image of Bill Gates next to a screen that reads “Why I should be the Australian Cricket Team’s PowerPoint Coach.” According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a number of media outlets are poking fun at the notion of standing down four players over a homework task in a time where the skills of the team are vital, and have questioned the relevance of written homework tasks in a sport setting. One source suggested that Arthur’s actions have taken the Australian team from “on-field embarrassment to off-field crisis”; another quoted Shane Warne tweeting that it is beyond the scope of the role for a coach to be involved with selecting players, and the Captain should have had the final say. Former domestic and Australian cricketer Brett Geeves reported to the ABC that he too was chastised for not completing homework when he was playing in what was “only a week opener” for Tasmania, and it had a detrimental effect on his morale as well as that of remaining teammates.

However, former cricketer Geoff Lawson told the ABC that it is Arthur’s job to prepare his team for winning, and as they were not, he would have been under “tremendous pressure” to “get the job done”. Captain Michael Clarke told the Sydney Morning Herald that he “completely endorsed” the coach’s decision, stating that players failing to reach necessary standards set for them, whatever they were, is “unacceptable”.

As professional sportsmen, the four suspended cricketers have been criticised for not taking seriously a task that was set as part of their employment. While an “aggrieved” Watson returned to India for the fourth and final Test, sports blog ‘The Roar’ has revealed that after the cricket team’s “disastrous tour of India”, the National Selection Panel is set for a “ruthless clean-out”. The Panel will reportedly become a three-person panel again, with Coach and Captain to be “demoted”.

Runner Darrell Giles said the storm was “sudden and unexpected”, with “perfect sunshine” at 5pm.  As darkness fell over the event and the storm hit, he expressed his terror at having to wait for lightning bolts and strikes to see anything after parts of the run lost power. Several other competitors were hurt from tripping during the race and have expressed their outrage at the organiser’s decision to not call off the event until hours after it began.

Comments on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have cited “poor organisation”, “a lack of communication to volunteers at the event”, and “chaos” between confused runners coming from both directions. A number of entrants also commented on social media that they did not even realise the race had been called off until they had reached the finish line.

The incident raises the issue of responsibilities of event organisers in hosting running events.   While an event organiser has a duty of care for the safety of participants in a running event so too does the land owners upon which the event is being held.  Both event organisers and venue owners and/or managers have positive due diligence obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act (Qld) 2011 to  ensure the safety of members of the public affected by their activities so far as is reasonably practicable. As event managers, race organisers owe participants a duty of care to manage foreseeable risks. It is also industry practice for a venue hosting an event to ensure that event organisers hosting events on their land, have sufficient risk and emergency management planning documentation in place and have given due consideration to risks and hazards. Individual participants are required to follow all reasonable instructions given by the event organiser and to not place themselves in unreasonable danger.  It is unclear from media reports on the incident above as to how well people were informed  of the pending dangers from bad weather; and if adverse weather was contained in the event’s emergency management plan.    

As comments on the official Twilight Facebook page suggest, time will tell if Twilight will be found liable in negligence for the tragic death.

The ABC News reported that at the time of the incident it was “cold, dark and raining hard”, and the lack of communication to the  trapped visitors made it a “terrifying ordeal”.   Not all people affected were terrified however. One honeymooning couple told The Sunday Mail that they didn’t mind the holdup and trusted they would be safe, while others ‘slammed’ the operators for leaving them stranded.

The incident did not result in any serious injuries, and the honeymooners commented that they now “have a story to tell”. The incident however brings to light the duty of care which operators of Skyrails or any cable car owe to members of the public; that is, to ensure that the cable-car complies with all high risk plant safety requirements and that foreseeable safety risks are considered and mitigated. Hazards such as falling trees, fire, low flying aircraft and potential structural failures are all risks that may affect the safe operation of a cableway. While the risk management arrangements in place for the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway were not disclosed in the media, it would be expected that such risks would be addressed in a comprehensive risk management plan. It would also be expected that an emergency plan would be in place detailing response procedures for incidents of this nature.  These are all obligations required under the Queensland Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

It is noted that the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway was closed the day following the incident to allow for an investigation into the specific cause of the problem.

Paramedics on-site treated fourteen spectators while another fourteen were taken to local hospitals. Every driver involved in the collision was also checked for injuries. The Charlotte Observer reported that a piece of metal that flew 75 feet away from the track caused a head wound to spectator Steve Johnson and caused internal bleeding to his wife. Seated thirty rows away from the track, Mr Johnson acknowledged that “you can’t make everything safe,” and is not deterred from attending races in the future.

While there were no fatalities, the incident serves to highlight the risks to spectators in motorsports who are generally well protected from injury from track design and protective netting. While NASCAR has previously taken significant steps to protect spectators at major racing venues, by raising fences from fifteen to twenty-two feet, this incident demonstrates that even a barrier of reinforced wire and steel fencing is not immune to damage from high speed debris. According to The Charlotte Observer, Sam Gualardo of the American Society of Safety Engineers suggested that a canopy-like fence covering most of the race track like a “batting cage” would be a costly but worthwhile investment for NASCAR tracks. 

NASCAR is reportedly undertaking a review of safety fencing at the Florida track after the unfortunate incident. As Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski told CNN, at speeds of up to 175mph drivers generally “assume” the risk of crashing, while “fans do not.” In the interim between additional safety measures being implemented and the remainder of the Daytona 500 Series, perhaps it is up to fans to recognise the inherent risks of watching this dangerous sport.

AFL journalist Mark Robinson of the Herald Sun reported that as American institutions are leading the research into high contact sports and CTE, there will be a  ‘lag time’ between what is discovered overseas and what is implemented here in Australia. Ideally in sports, the rules are based upon current knowledge regarding the health and safety of players, and new findings are reflected through adjusting the rules. In 2009, Washington and 15 other US states introduced the ‘Lystedt Law’ following a case of permanent brain injuries sustained by a high school footballer from continuing to play with a concussion. The law prohibits school students suspected of sustaining a concussion from playing football or hockey on school grounds until a doctor authorises them to do so. According to The Age, Williams hopes that exposing his harrowing experience of brain damage will help to protect all football players from the same fate. Williams made reference to the football culture of his day where a player was labelled ‘a wimp’ if he didn’t continue playing after being concussed, and said that there was no proper diagnosis and subsequent treatment. He expressed concern for not only AFL players, but for suburban and country footballers for whom adequate treatment is likely to be unavailable. Meanwhile, he suggested that today’s AFL players are ‘far more dangerous’, with collisions being even ‘more intense’ than when he was playing fifteen years ago.

As CNN reported, the issue of brain damage resulting from sport has sparked another school of thought which maintains that cognitive decline in sporting stars is the result of “genetics, alcohol, drugs, stress, bad luck” and lifestyle choices. The Sydney Morning Herald reveals that President Obama spoke out on the ostensible link between brain damage and high-impact sports recently, and there is mounting evidence of an increased risk of brain injury among athletes that experience multiple hits to the head. In the lag time between findings being integrated into sports policy, it may be vital for sporting regulatory bodies to manage the risk of brain injuries through educating players on the potential dangers of returning to play after concussion.

The Brisbane Times reported that Williams expressed outrage at the AFL’s “denial that CTE exists”, and said they and the AFL Players’ Association “need to do more”. He claims he is certain that head injuries sustained during a game will lead to ‘devastating long-term’ cognitive decline and advocates up to two months off for players who have sustained a heavy concussion. Hopefully the reported hardships of sporting champions like Williams will not be in vain, and that rules and regulations are adjusted to manage and minimise the very real risk of brain damage in contact sports.