On March 6, 2018, Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), 2018, was passed as new legislation to establish mandatory requirements for amateur sport organizations in Ontario. The aim of the new legislation is to improve concussion safety and protect amateur athletes both on the field and at school.
The mandatory requirements are meant to ensure:
- Annual review of concussion awareness resources by athletes, coaches, and parents/
guardians of athletes; - Establishment of removal-from-sport and return-to-sport protocols, so that athletes are
immediately removed from sport if they are suspected of having sustained a concussion; and - Establishment of concussion codes of conduct that will set out rules of behavior to minimize
concussions while playing sport.
In addition to the mandatory requirements, the last Wednesday of every September will be declared “Rowan’s Law Day” in honour of Rowan Stringer, the rugby player who tragically passed away in 2013 at just 17 after suffering two concussions in one week.
At HeadCheck, we’re very pleased to see any legislation passed that aims to improve the concussion safety of amateur athletes. We work extensively with organizations to ensure their removal-from-sport and return-to-sport protocols are being followed. Please contact us if you have any questions about how we can help.
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