Kendo Ontario has developed the Kendo Ontario Concussion Protocol to help guide the management of athletes / participants who may have a suspected concussion as a result of participation in Kendo.

This protocol covers the recognition, medical diagnosis and management of athletes / participants who may sustain a suspected concussion or head injury during Kendo. It aims to ensure that athletes with a suspected concussion receive timely and appropriate care and proper management to allow them to return back to Kendo safely.

This protocol is intended for use by all active athletes / participants as well as those who are involved with Kendo. This includes parents (of underage participants), instructors / trainers as well as officials / judges.

Concussion Protocol Documents

• Quick Fact Sheet for Instructors (PDF)
• Concussion Protocol (PDF)
• Pre-bogu Education (PDF)
• Medical Assessment Letter (PDF)
• Medical Clearance Letter (PDF)
• SCAT5 – Sport Concussion Assessment Tool – 5th Edition (PDF)

Why Develop a Concussion Protocol?

In the province of Ontario, rules requiring the review of Concussion Awareness Resources and Concussion Codes of Conduct (Rowan’s Law) came into effect on July 1, 2019. It is mandatory for sports organizations to:

1. Ensure that athletes under 26 years of age*, parents of athletes under 18, coaches, team trainers and officials confirm every year that they have reviewed Ontario’s Concussion Awareness Resources
2. Establish a Concussion Code of Conduct that sets out rules of behaviour to support concussion prevention
3. Establish a Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocol

*Special Rule: A sport organization that is a university, college of applied arts and technology or other post-secondary institution must not register any athlete regardless of age unless the same requirements are met.

The rules for removal-from-sport and return-to-sport protocols are expected to be in place by July 1, 2020.