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Reducing brain damage in sport without losing the thrills NewsColony Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Shona McCallin playing for the GB hockey team When Olympic gold medallist Shona McCallin was hit on the side of her head by a seemingly innocuous shoulder challenge, she suffered what was originally thought to be a concussion. However, headaches and other symptoms would not go away and brain scans revealed damage to her vestibular system – the part of the brain responsible for processing movement and motion. It was seventeen months before she was able to play competitively again, but she made it back into the Great Britain hockey team. “You know, unfortunately, injuries in sport and outside sport are a part of life,” she says. From football to F1, professional sport has become more aware of the impact it has on the brains of athletes. The US National Football League (NFL) has acknowledged that it concealed the dangers of concussion from players, leading to a settl...