Doctor Bennet Omalu, the medical pioneer who discovered the first cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American footballers, predicts contact sports such as rugby league, rugby union and AFL will cease to exist within the space of a generation due to the health hazards associated with concussions.

Omalu also believes children should be banned from playing contact sports until the age of 18 due to the risks associated with concussions.

Risks associated with concussion could spell the end of contact sports, says Dr Bennet Omalu. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

Omalu found CTE in the brain of deceased Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Famer Mike Webster in 2002, a breakthrough that changed the landscape for contact sports in the United States.

The Nigerian-born forensic pathologist described his discovery as an "inconvenient truth", one that the National Football League attempted to discredit with its platoon of lawyers and spin doctors. The story hit the mainstream in the form of Hollywood blockbuster Concussion, earning Will Smith a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Omalu.