Sports violence usually involves the players.

During the intense match between France and Ireland in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Exeter, England on 14 September, a foul was called on Frenchwoman Axelle Berthoumieu against Aoife Wafer.

A clip of the game’s TV coverage shows Berthoumieu appearing to bite the lower arm of Wafer in a scramble for the ball during a penalty turnover, according to CNN.

No foul was called by the referee, prompting Ireland captain Sam Monaghan to protest. The following day, World Rugby, the sport’s governing body, saw the foul in a play review and handed Berthoumieu a 12-game suspension that was later reduced to nine games after the offender admitted biting Wafer and apologized, CNN reports.

Meanwhile, a school in Cedar City, Utah, USA had reported a bite mark on the right arm of a five-year-old student to child welfare authorities, sparking an investigation.

When the Utah Division of Child and Family Services interviewed the girl, she told them that her dad bites her on her arms and legs while “torturing/playing,” ABC4 reports.

Police officers interviewed the girl’s mother, who told them that she and her husband also bite each other while being intimate.

The officers then talked to the father, who said he was horsing around with his daughter, who asked him to bite her for fun. He added that he also bites his wife on the arms and legs.

The investigators told the father that his hard bites on the girl, which leave teeth marks for days, are child abuse. They arrested and detained him at the Iron County Jail, but only temporarily, ABC4 reported.

The names of the parents were not disclosed by authorities to protect the privacy of the girl.