The father of a teenager who died after suffering a concussion during a rugby match has backed new sport guidelines on dealing with the injury.

Scotland has updated concussion guidelines for all sports played in the country which will apply to a range of sports including football, rugby, judo, shinty and netball.

The Scottish Government and sportscotland, the national agency for sport, were the first in the world to introduce a single concussion policy in 2015.

However, the policy has now been updated to reflect changes to global sports concussion guidance following a meeting of experts in Berlin last year.

The updated guidelines are designed to shape a consistent, accurate message.

Concussion campaigner Peter Robinson, of Rosewell, Midlothian, lost his son Ben following repeated concussions during a school rugby match.

Ben, who was only 14 when he died, was treated three times for blows to the head before passing away in hospital in 2011.

Speaking at the launch of the new guidelines at Scotland's performance centre at Edinburgh's Oriam, Mr Robinson said a safe playing environment was vital.

"It only takes one person to recognise the signs and symptoms of concussion and that could be a teammate, spectator, parent, coach or referee," he said.

"At grassroots level we don't have the luxury of the medical back up that professional sports do, so we all have a duty to be informed to ensure that it's the safest playing environment possible for participants to enjoy an active lifestyle."

Previous guidelines advised rest as the main treatment for concussion, but the advice now is that, like any other injury, the brain needs to rehabilitate rather than rest.

Young developing brains need slower rehabilitation and so the minimum times for a return to sport are different for adults, adolescents and children.

Scotland's deputy chief medical officer, Dr Gregor Smith, spoke on behalf of the team of experts behind the guidelines at the event.

He said: "These updated guidelines build on Scotland's world-leading approach of creating one consistent, evidence-based policy towards concussion across all sports.

"They draw on recent international advances in the understanding of concussion and, in particular, of how to better rehabilitate people.

"If there is any doubt over someone's health or fitness to return to play, sit them out."