The Podium Institute’s revolutionary multimodal study into concussion with Gloucester Rugby and Gloucester Hartpury, funded by Podium Analytics, has been featured in BBC documentary – Ben Youngs Investigates: How Safe Is Rugby?

The hour-long programme, available to view on BBC iPlayer now and due to air on BBC One at 22.40 on Tuesday 3 March, follows Ben Youngs, England’s most-capped men’s Rugby Union player, as he sets out on a personal journey of discovery to relook at the sport that has defined his life. 

The programme offers a compelling insight into concussion in rugby and impacts on long-term brain health, featuring conversations with former players Steve Thompson, Lewis Moody, Anthony Watson, Alix Popham and Kat Merchant, who all provide their very personal perspective on safety of the game, in addition to Dr Karen Jones, former England International, Clinical Services Lead at England Rugby and former Club Doctor for Gloucester Rugby, who provides important player welfare and sport governance insights. 

The need for an objective diagnostic tool for concussion is clear. Ben Youngs sits down with Professor Constantin Coussios OBE FREng, Director of The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology at the University of Oxford, to discuss the pioneering work the Institute is doing to improve concussion diagnosis at all levels of the sport and takes a look behind the scenes at this world-first study in action.  

“The independent study is fascinating and has the potential to really change how we approach brain health in rugby.”

Watch now on BBC iPlayer 

Read more about Ben Youngs’ investigation into the issue of concussion 

About the Study

The revolutionary multimodal study employs a high-specification mobile MRI scanner to image rugby union players immediately after a confirmed or suspected concussion, enabling structural and functional imaging of the brain within a few hours of head impact – a world-first approach. 

Read more about the study

About The Podium Institute 

The Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology is the world’s first independent academic institute focused on the safety and lifelong health of youth and grassroots as well as professional athletes. Its purpose is to inspire and forge evidence-based changes in sport and physical education, and to develop innovative and scalable technologies to monitor, analyse and ultimately prevent sport injury across the 22 million adults and 3 million children who participate in sport annually across the UK, as well as the hundreds of millions who partake in amateur and professional sport internationally.

About Podium Analytics

Podium Analytics is a registered charity (England, Wales and Scotland) with a vision to create a world with more sport and less injury. Founded by Sir Ron Dennis CBE, its mission is to significantly reduce the incidence and impact of sports injury, with a focus on youth and grassroot sport. Podium’s team is made up of hand-picked specialists with proven expertise in business, academia, science, technology and sport, who share in a sense of responsibility for shaping a safer legacy for sport.

SportSmart is the schools and clubs programme from Podium Analytics, which has been developed to support the on-the-ground needs of PE teachers and sports coaches. The programme includes tools, educational information and insights to prevent, monitor and manage injury – all while driving greater understanding of grassroots sport and trialling new protocols in the real world.

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