The concussion debate has reached figure skating.
Japanese officials are being labelled reckless by former greats for letting Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu perform after a sickening clash with a rival skater.
The 19-year-old pin-up-boy smashed into Chinese skater Yan Han before winding up for a jump in practice, leaving him bleeding from the head and prompting former Olympians to claim that letting him return to the ice could have got him killed.
Hanyu, also the world title holder, needed stitches in his jaw and staples to close wounds in his head, yet he was cleared by doctors to skate in the free routine despite coach Brian Orser warning him it was "no time to be a hero."
After arriving home to Japan in a wheelchair former Olympic champions vented their fury, more doing so after it was revealed he suffered cranial bruising.
"It was irresponsible of the Japan Skating Federation," former Olympic judo medallist Noriko Mizoguchi told AFP.
"He could have had concussion, plus there is always the risk of brain trauma from cases of second impact. Saying it was Hanyu's decision to compete is a poor excuse. Is it alright to let someone risk death?
"In other sports, such as rugby or judo, if there is any suspicion of concussion, the athlete's safety comes first."
Mizoguchi, who won silver for Japan at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was supported by former Olympic hurdler Dai Tamesue.
"He could have died," he said, writing in Monday's Nikkan Sports newspaper.
"Figure skating is not a contact sport, so possibly they were not checking for concussion. But to compete with that risk can put the athlete's life at risk."
The Japan Skating Federation told AFP that it had been determined Hanyu had not suffered a concussion, but Mizoguchi insisted it was time for the sport to get wise.
"Japan still lags behind the world on the issue of concussion in sport, particularly non-contact, non-combat sports like figure skating," she said.
"How Japanese skating officials can be so out of touch is amazing."
The major impact of concussions in athletes and performers has been felt around the world from the NFL in the USA to the NRL and AFL in Australia.
