Parents of Liverpool kickboxer who died meet Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy

The parents of a teenage kickboxer who died from a head injury have met Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy to discuss how to prevent similar deaths.

Ste and Nikita Eastwood’s son Alex was 15 when he died on 2 July 2024 after an exhibition match at Platt Bridge in Wigan.

Nandy, who is also the MP for Wigan, met the couple at their Liverpool home and said she would be “exploring ways to urgently improve the safety and welfare of children in martial arts”.

An inquest into Alex’s death found there was no minimum standard of medical aid at such events or proper risk assessments done.

The coroner who investigated took the unusual step of issuing a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report before the full inquest had taken place.

It stated unofficial or unsanctioned matches had no guideline of what minimum standards had to be met.

Mr Eastwood said: “We were very encouraged by the constructive meeting with Lisa Nandy. She told us she is considering a range of options to tackle the issues we described to her.

He said the couple was looking forward to working with her in the future.

Speaking after a debate in Parliament prompted by the Eastwoods’ MP Dan Carden, Mrs Eastwood said: “As a family we are determined to see these gaps eradicated so that no other kickboxer faces the risks that Alex did on the day he suffered his fatal injury.”