Getty ImagesThe first-ever slap fighting competition to take place in Scotland has been cancelled following a health warning.
BritSlap/SlapFight UK was due to hold the event at Glasgow University Union (GUU) on Saturday evening as part of a wider weightlifting meet.
However, a leading expert on brain injury said it was “inconceivable” the bouts should go ahead due to the elevated risk of concussion.
A spokesperson for the student union said the event had been cancelled “in discussion with organisers”.
Slap fighting began in Russia and expanded into Eastern Europe and the United States after going viral on social media.
Unlike in boxing, MMA and Muay Thai where there is a defensive element, here competitors exchange forceful bare-handed blows to the side of the head without defending themselves.
The winner is decided either by knock out, a points win or a stoppage by a medic or referee.
SlapFight UK, which has no independent regulation or governance, is the first independent league to be set up in this country and was due to host its first Scottish meet after several events in England.
But Dr Willie Stewart, a leading researcher at the university’s school of neuroscience, urged competitors not to “risk their brain health in the name of sport”.
Dr Stewart said the university had led research into traumatic brain injuries for over 50 years, including the “catastrophic outcomes” to brain health suffered by former footballers and rugby players.
He told BBC Scotland News: “There is no question that the University of Glasgow’s research has provided the clearest evidence that brain injuries should never be considered trivial or encouraged as ‘sport’.
“In this context, it seems inconceivable, if not ill-considered, that a students’ union of this university would be hosting such an event.
“I’d suggest that rather than encouraging people to risk their brain health in the name of ‘sport’, the event organisers spend a few hours in my laboratory and educate themselves on the consequences of brain injuries.”
Force of strikes ‘amplified’
An American study on slap fighting last year warned of a high risk of concussion for participants.
The University of Pittsburgh research analysed footage of 78 fights and found more than half of participants displayed visual signs of concussion.
Its lead author, Dr Raj Swaroop Lavadi said the lack of defensive element meant each blow was “amplified”.
He also said promoters should be “more transparent about its risks”.
GUU previously said it was “satisfied” with safety measures in place.
A statement released late on Friday said: “In discussion with the event organisers, the slap fighting element of this weekend’s weightlifting competition is no longer going ahead.”
BBC Scotland has contacted the union for further comment.
A spokesman for the University of Glasgow said it did not “endorse or sanction” the event.
He added: “Given the strength of the evidence outlined by our own academic colleagues, and echoed by published peer-reviewed research, we regard this as a dangerous sport and do not believe that the GUU or the university should be associated with it.”
SlapFightUK have also been contacted for comment.
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