1. CURIE Risk Advisory Committee Sports Related Head Injuries
CURIE Risk Management Meeting
Toronto, ON
September 23, 2017
Presented By:
Trev Gonnason, Working Group Lead
Director, Risk Management

2. Risk Advisory Committee Purpose
The Risk Advisory Committee is a committee established by, and responsible to, the Board of CURIE to provide CURIE with advice on risk reduction and loss control methods and initiatives and acts as a resource for the Manager, Risk Reduction and Loss Control.
During the February 2016 meeting Sports Related Head Injuries was identified as a potential topic of concern and a working group was created.

3. Why?
Significant number of class actions and media attention in US against not only professional sports organizations but also colleges and universities, for sports which many CURIE members have.
CURIE has not seen any sports related class actions.
What should we be doing/communicating to lessen the likelihood of such actions against members?

4. CURIE Potential Exposures Identified
Varsity - U Sports (formerly CIS)
Varsity - Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)
Sports Clubs
Intramurals

5. Renewals
During the 2017 renewal discussions with excess insurers and reinsurers in London and Europe, every underwriter asked questions about what CURIE was doing in relation to sports related head injuries.
Subsequent to 2017 renewals, AIG in the US (AIG is not on the CURIE liability program) made an underwriting decision to exclude all Traumatic Brain Injury coverage for colleges, universities, educational institutions, municipalities and school districts on renewal.
Is this the start of a trend?

6. How to Position CURIE Going Forward?
Our response – this is NOT a CURIE initiative to dictate how we operate our sports programs, what is it we need to do to satisfy the insurance markets that we are a “good risk” to retain coverage at affordable and stable rates (part of the original objective that led to the formation of CURIE).
A questionnaire was developed for completion by members of their current policies, practices and protocols. The purpose was to help provide information on member protocols and demonstrate to the markets that we are taking action on the issue.

7. Survey Context

8. Survey Context

9. Survey Context

10. High Level Summary
100% of the members receiving the survey completed it (45 members) Thank you to all who participated!
Varsity programs appear to be managed (U Sport moving towards a common injury tracking system)
Sports Clubs and Intramurals don’t have the same resources as Varsity (what may be a varsity sport at some members may be a sports club at others – potentially the same risk, but managed differently)
Appears to be an appetite amongst members for training/awareness resources
for Sports Clubs and Intramurals.

11. Next Step(s)? 2018 Renewal terms – any requirements? (Keith)
Considering a Pilot Program on Concussion training for Sports Clubs/Intramurals with a limited number of members this Fall.

12. Summary
The issue of Sports Related Head Injuries is a hot topic, changes and new theories on treatment(s) are frequent.
No clear consensus on a single approach.
CURIE is not looking to mandate “how”, but the insurance markets could dictate our approach.
Questions/Comments?