Following intense backlash from coaches, students, parents, and sport organizations, the Nova Scotia government has ordered the province’s governing body for high school athletics to reverse its decision to ban rugby.
On Friday, Education Minister Zach Churchill called on the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation to reinstate high school rugby after they abruptly cancelled it the day before, citing concerns about safety and insurance costs.
In a statement, Churchill said the federation contravened the terms and conditions of an agreement with the department of education.
“It neglected to inform the department of its intent to communicate it’s [sic] decision on May 2, 2019, and furthermore, made the decision without appropriate consultation with school communities,” he said.
The minister also said the Medical Officer of Health, along with other “respected physicians,” had expressed concerns about the reasoning behind the cancellation. Therefore, he said he had called on the NSSAF to reinstate the sport in high schools immediately for the duration of the season.
“I have also asked the NSSAF to work with the department to assemble a panel of subject matter experts to thoroughly review and assess available research on safety in sports for school sports across Nova Scotia,” the statement read.
On Friday, the chairman of the NSSAF’s board of governors Stephen MacNeil defended the cancellation based on incident report data they received from the school insurance program.
“This is not a safe sporting environment for our students,” MacNeil told reporters.
The federation claimed there were 149 head injuries in rugby over the past five years, nearly five times more than in hockey or football. MacNeil said the data from the last five years also indicated there were three times as many insurance claims from rugby players as there were from soccer, football, and hockey.
The ban came just one day after an international student at Sydney Academy suffered a head injury during a rugby match and was airlifted to Halifax hospital.
The unexpected announcement shocked high school students, coaches, and parents as well as officials at Rugby Canada and Rugby Nova Scotia who had worked with the federation on improving safety in the sport over the past two years. Both organizations expressed disappointment in the decision and vowed to find a solution.
On Thursday and Friday, students across the province gathered in high school hallways and in the streets to protest the ban and demand a reversal.
“We understand that if we step on the field there’s a risk of getting injured,” one student said during a protest outside the Halifax Convention Centre.
There are more than 1,000 students who play rugby in high schools across Nova Scotia, with the sport becoming increasingly popular among females.
