Media Statement | HIT-IQ Responds to Senate Inquiry Report into Concussions and Repeated Head Trauma in Contact Sports

Australian Parliament calls for concussion tracking in grassroots community sport: Senate Inquiry Report tabled ‍

‍HIT-IQ - the Aussie company behind ground-breaking concussion technology used by AFL, AFLW, Super Rugby and American Football - provided evidence to the Senate committee and stands ready to help

Developed to detect head impacts of all severity, the game-changing sensor technology in every HIT-IQ Smart Mouthguard is available now to all juniors and grassroots participants nationwide

Statement from HIT-IQ Founder Mike Vegar: “HIT-IQ is pleased to see the report tabled by the Senate Committee sending a clear message to Australia that it’s time to get serious about concussion and brain injury risks at every level of sport.

“The report’s first recommendation is that Australia establish a National Sports Injury Database as a matter of urgency across both professional and grassroots sport. The second recommendation is for professional codes to collect and report concussion data into this new database, while further recommendations call for strengthened concussion research and return-to-play safeguards. Across all fronts, HIT-IQ is ready and able to help."

“Our validated HIT-IQ sensor mouthguards are used widely across the globe. These are fitted with hi-tech sensors that detect and monitor head impacts on a longitudinal basis and are exactly the kind of technology this Senate report shows is needed to safeguard Aussie kids, local grassroot players and professional sports stars. Tracking head impacts over the course of one's playing life is one of the singularly most important steps the industry can take.

“Our world-first concussion management platform 'ConneQt' is an integrated one-stop-shop for teams to report and manage concussion incidents that notify caregivers, provides return-to-learn and return-to-play guidance and connects players instantly to trained concussion medical experts.

“Australia is a sports-loving country and it’s important to protect that. But we know that repeat head knocks can be devastating, and in some cases, sadly, life-altering. “A recent survey we conducted of parents across Australia found 40% of those with kids who don’t play sport were unlikely to sign them up because of parents’ fear of concussion and brain injury.

‍Statement from Kylie Fraser, wife of former AFL player Josh Fraser and mother to Ted, 13: “I watched my husband Josh play AFL for 13 years so I know how physical the game can be and the risk of concussion and head knocks in general. Our son Ted absolutely loves playing football and I would never stop him from playing so having him wear the HIT-IQ Smart mouthguard this year and tracking his knocks through the HIT-IQ app was very much peace of mind and an absolute game-changer!”

‍Additional background: This groundbreaking Senate Inquiry signifies a huge leap forward in recognising and treating head impacts in Australia. HIT-IQ encourages players and participants of grassroots and professional sports to make educated decisions driven by the latest concussion research and cutting-edge concussion management technologies to empower the future of impact sports throughout Australian communities.

Read the Senate Report here

Download Media Release here