Concussion in Sport: Marianna Tolo

23 September 2024

As she prepares to start the WNBL season with new club Bendigo Spirit next month, Australian Opals star Marianna Tolo has shared her experiences with concussion in sport, and why the message “if in doubt, sit it out”, is so important.

While she has never personally experienced a concussion, Tolo has witnessed many head knocks during her illustrious career that has included three Olympic Games and four WNBL titles.

One occasion during her time playing overseas highlighted the importance Australian sport places on proper diagnosis and treatment of concussion.

"My teammate got an elbow to the head and straight away felt dizzy and couldn’t concentrate. She spoke to the medical staff, and they just said to take it easy – we didn’t have a concussion protocol in place.

"Seeing the difference in medical care overseas made me feel really grateful to be Australian because our medical staff have the knowledge and resources to help you through concussion diagnosis and recovery."

Australian Opals celebrate bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 2024 AIS Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement provides clear return to sport protocols after concussion.

To align with both the UK and New Zealand, the AIS advises a minimum standdown period of 14 days symptom free (at rest) before returning to contact sport training and a minimum of 21 days before returning to competitive contact for all youth (under-19s) and community sport.

For high performance and professional athletes over the age of 19 with daily access to heath care professionals, the advice is at least ten days symptom-free before returning to contact activities.

Marianna Tolo celebrates with Sami Whitcomb at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Tolo said important athletes are aware of the guidelines and don’t try and hide head knocks and symptoms to keep playing.

"One of my teammates got a knock to the head and wasn’t feeling 100 per cent but didn’t want to talk to the doctor because she didn’t want to miss the World Cup at home.” Tolo said.

"A couple of us convinced her to see the doctor and she ended up being able to continue to play.

"This shows that getting tested doesn’t always mean you will have to sit out, but if you do go onto play and you weren’t supposed to the consequences could be quite high."

Tolo encouraged all anyone experiencing any concussion symptom to seek help from trusted medical professionals.

"I really encourage all people to seek help and advice from professionals no matter the severity, because you never know what might happen. You might seem fine now but down the track you never know."

To read the 2024 AIS Concussion and Brain Health Position Statement and access the supporting online resources, visit the Concussion in Sport website.