Court blocks Run it Straight event two days before it was due to take place
An Australian Run it Straight event has been shut down by a court two days before it was due to take place.
The Run Nation Championship (RNC) event, co-founded by Sydney businessman Tremaine Fernandez, was scheduled for this weekend at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse, with tickets selling for A$999 ($1229).
The Combat Sports Authority (CSA) cancelled the event, claiming it had not complied with the rules for such a showcase to be staged, while organisers argued it was not a combat sport under New South Wales state law.
Run Nation sought a judicial review, but the NSW Supreme Court backed the CSA’s decision.
“The wording in the code describing the contact as a ‘tackle’ cannot alter the fact RNC is a collision sport,” Justice Andrew Coleman said in his judgment.
“The essence of the activity is the collision between them.”
A combat sport is described as one where the main objective of combatants “is to strike, kick, hit, grapple with, throw or punch one or more other combatants”.
In a statement, RNC confirmed the event was postponed, saying it respected the NSW Supreme Court’s decision.
“RNC will now operate as a regulated sport in NSW under the authority. We are working with them to bring RNC into that framework properly,” the statement read.
“RNC04 will be rescheduled for later in 2026 at Royal Randwick Racecourse. Same venue. Same card. Same event.
“Your ticket carries over automatically. If you cannot attend the new date, refund instructions are going to every ticket holder by email today.
“To our athletes, coaches and teams. You gave everything to get here. None of it is lost. This is a delay, not a defeat.”
Former league players, including Dylan Napa and Sam Kasiano, were scheduled to participate in the event. In contrast, former NRL front-rower Josh Aloiai distanced himself from the sport earlier this year after working as a coach for the event’s competitors.
In a video posted to social media, Aloiai said: “After coaching at RNC last night, that’s not something I could ever be involved in again.
“As a coach, man, I could not do that again, feels like you’re just preparing dudes to go and get their heads knocked off and get brain bleeds and tap them on the back and squirt water in their face.”
Earlier this year, Fernandez told the Herald that Aloiai was entitled to his views and the company respects any athlete’s decision about their involvement in any sport.
Vulangi Olosoni, who won the Runit Championship League final, a competitor to RNC, in June 2025, previously apologised for his role in influencing young people to take part in the controversial sport after the death of New Zealand teenager Ryan Satterthwaite.
The teen from Palmerston North died from head injuries sustained while taking part in a copycat version of the game during a 21st birthday celebration.
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