A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a blow to the head, prone to occur in sport and while minor at times, can also carry long-term damage and repercussions if frequent and not taken seriously. In fact, concussion is the number one risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, behavioural issues and mental health problems, including increased suicidality. This makes it a major public health problem, particularly within sport, and a source of worry and stress for athletes – amateur or professional – alongside their families, teams, and federations, countering the notion that sport is an integral part in many lives to keep us fit and healthy.

In recent years, sports federations across the world, in particular rugby federations, have turned increased attention to concussion and raising awareness of its occurrence and its consequences, developing monitoring programmes and establishing preventive measures, which have had a significant impact on the number of such accidents. However, awareness raising, education and prioritisation within sport guidelines remains vital.

For this reason, the European Brain Foundation (EBF), in partnership with Rugby Europe and other top rugby federations, will host its first event on the subject of Brain in Sport dedicated to concussion, providing the most comprehensive information possible on concussion and its treatment, including key opinion leaders and experts in field to share state of play in a medico-scientific perspective and testimonies from players, to better understand where the risk of concussion and head trauma in a particular sport exists and how it best to manage it.

The final objective is to describe the broad outlines of a precise educational plan that could be used by those responsible for at-risk disciplines.