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TOUCHLINE
ISSUE 19 | NOV 2014 |
31
TOUCHLINE
FEATURE
Providing adequate insurance cover for sportspeople is an increasingly vexed issue for many
codes, writes
Jason Clout.
Athletes from the elite level down to grassroots could
be presented with the option of choosing their own
level of injury cover as a safeguard, should the worst
occur. Continual testing of their mental faculties could
also become commonplace for athletes as a way of
determining if competing has reduced their mental acuity.
The proposals come as sports across the spectrum wrestle
with the implications of insuring athletes for what can be a
very short playing career if problems arise.
The NRL’s Alex McKinnon received a serious spinal injury
while playing for the Newcastle Knights earlier this year.
In the United States, the National Football League is facing
huge claims from a class action brought by former players
who believe their mental capabilities have been impaired
by playing American football.
All sports bodies stress that extreme injuries are the
exception and that sports can be played with minimal risk
of major disability. But the chief executive of Sportscover
BIG LOSSES
BEYOND THE SCOREBOARD: