00:00The parents of Alex Eastwood who died as a result of a head injury sustained in a kickboxing match
00:05have met with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy.
00:10Ms Nandy spends an hour with Stee and Nikita at their family home in Liverpool.
00:16Alex from Vizakali collapsed after the third and final round of a light contact kickboxing bout
00:22against a 17-year-old opponent in a ring at a gym in Wigan on June 29th last year.
00:27The couple shared the story of how Alex died on 2 July 2024, three days after suffering a fatal injury
00:35during the exhibition kickboxing fight at a gym in Plattebridge.
00:39The inquest process into Alex's death exposed the lack of safeguarding in place within the kickboxing sport.
00:46A prevention of future deaths report issued by the coroner ahead of the full inquest hearings
00:50stated that at unofficial or unsanctioned matches there's no guideline of what minimum standard must be met
00:57to provide safeguarding for a child participant.
01:00These included no minimum standard of what medical support may be required,
01:05maximum rounds or periods of rest, welfare checks on participants being undertaken,
01:11no risk assessment and critical incident plan.
01:13Ms Nandy responded to the prevention of future deaths report saying
01:16she'd tasked her department with exploring ways to urgently improve the safety and welfare of children
01:23in martial arts and ensure it is always a priority.
01:27Stia Nikita told Ms Nandy that they wanted Alex's legacy to be protection
01:31for all other children and teenagers who participate in the sport of kickboxing.
01:36They said their one wish was that Alex's death would not be in vain,
01:40but would bring about lasting change for other kickboxers.
01:44Stia Nikita told Ms Nandy that they wanted to be a part of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the school of the
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