Olympic and Paralympic deaths explained

At the modern Olympic Games,, eight Olympic or Paralympic athletes and five horses have died as a result of competing in or practising their sport at Games venues; one other death was potentially a result of competition. In addition, another 16 participants have died at the Olympics from other causes; 11 of these deaths were from the Munich massacre.

Several incidents related to the Olympics have caused the death of non-participants. Large numbers were killed during the Lima football riot of 1964 and the Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico City in 1968. The Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Games caused two deaths.

In competition during the Olympics

Age!Country!Sport!Olympics!class="unsortable"
Cause of death
24PortugalRunner1912, StockholmElectrolyte imbalance/overheating[1]
23DenmarkCyclist1960, RomeHeat stroke[2]

Horses

In competition during the Paralympics

During Olympic practice or potentially from competing

Other deaths of Olympic participants

Paris 1900

, (30), France – Fencing – 1900, Paris – Brassard was killed alongside three others in the collapse of the French: italic=no|Passerelle des Invalides, a temporary bridge built for the Latin: italic=no|cat=no|Exposition Universelle of 1900. This occurred two months after he participated in the Olympic Games but also two months before the Games concluded.[19] [20]

London 1948

During the London Olympics, Eliška Misáková, one of nine members of the Czechoslovak women's team in gymnastics, became ill on arrival in the host city. Diagnosed with polio, she died on the last day of the Olympics, the same day her remaining teammates won the competition.[21]

Melbourne 1956

Arrigo Menicocci, Italian rower who competed in eights, was killed as a passenger in a car crash about 90 km northwest of Melbourne during the Olympics on 1 December 1956, four days after the end of the rowing competition.[22]

Munich 1972

See main article: Munich massacre. In 1972, during the Munich Olympics, the Palestinian terrorist organisation Black September killed 11 members of the Israeli team.

The 11 Israeli Olympic Team members who were murdered in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich are:

Calgary 1988

Between the morning and afternoon runs of the men's giant slalom, Jörg Oberhammer, 47, the Austrian team doctor, was skiing on a recreational slope when he collided with another skier (a CTV technician) and was knocked under a snow-grooming machine, which crushed him instantly.[23] [24]

Rio de Janeiro 2016

German Olympic canoe slalom coach and Olympic silver-medalist Stefan Henze, 35, died on 15 August 2016 after his taxi was hit in a high-speed head-on collision in Rio three days earlier.[25]

Tokyo 2020

The Chinese coach of the Vietnamese Olympic swim team, Huang Guohui, 57, was suspected to have died by suicide whilst being held under COVID-19 quarantine in Hanoi following the return from Tokyo.[26]

Paris 2024

The coach of the Samoan boxing team, Lionel Elika Fatupaito, died on 26 July 2024 in the Olympic Village due to cardiac arrest just prior to the opening ceremony. [27]

Deaths of non-participants at Olympic-related events

Lima 1964

See main article: Estadio Nacional disaster. In a qualifying match for the Olympic football tournament, home fans began rioting after a late Peru goal was disallowed. Police fired tear gas into the crowd, exacerbating the situation, which ended with at least 328 deaths.[28]

Mexico 1968

See main article: Tlatelolco massacre. The Mexico 68 protests were part of a worldwide series of leftwing student-led protests. While the protesting National Strike Council claimed not to link its demands to the Olympics, some students protested at the perceived extravagance of hosting the games, and some sought to exploit the increased foreign media presence in the city for publicity. The authoritarian government had a secret "Olympia Battalion" to ensure security during the Games. Ten days before the games, the unit swept through a mass meeting in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas making arrests. Estimates of the number killed in the operation range from thirty to several hundred.

Munich 1972

In addition to the 11 Israeli Olympic Team members who died, West German police officer Anton Fliegerbauer and five Palestinian terrorists were killed during a shootout. Carmel Eliash, cousin of Moshe Weinberg, had a heart attack during the public memorial service the following day.[29]

Atlanta 1996 (Olympic Park Bombing)

See main article: Centennial Olympic Park bombing. On 27 July 1996 (the eighth day of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games), a bomb exploded at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia, killing two and wounding over 100 people.

Sydney 2000

Hyginus Anugo, 22, of Nigeria, a 4 × 400 metres relay reserve, was killed after being struck by a car while crossing a street in Sydney eight days before the Games opened.[30] He did not have Olympic accreditation and was not staying at the Olympic athletes' village. Anugo was with the team training in Adelaide, where final selections for relay squads were made, and was not selected. He had been due to return to Nigeria but had voluntarily proceeded to Sydney.

Athens 2004 Paralympics

Seven teenagers from Farkadona were killed in a crash while travelling to Athens for the Games, when their bus collided with a truck near the town of Kamena Vourla. Out of respect for their deaths, the cultural portion of the closing ceremonies of these Paralympics was cancelled.[31] [32]

Beijing 2008

A Hong Kong Police motorcyclist was on a VIP escort to Sheung Yue River for 2008 Olympic Equestrian events and was killed en route in a traffic collision.[33]

London 2012

On 1 August 2012, a special bus carrying media from the London Olympic Park was involved in a collision in which a cyclist was killed.[34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Forum Olimpico de Portugal. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080916133233/http://www.forumolimpico.org/?q=node%2F242. 16 September 2008. 3 June 2011. pt.
  2. News: 26 March 1961. Danish Cyclist Died of Heat Stroke, Not Drug. New York Times. 3 June 2011.
  3. Web site: Legény. Olympedia .
  4. Web site: Dastardly Doings at the 1936 Olympic Cross Country Event. 6 May 2012.
  5. Web site: Slippery Slim. Olympedia .
  6. Web site: Iller . Häststam .
  7. Web site: Individual, Men . Olympedia .
  8. Web site: 2004-08-18 . Eventful Eventing Day . 2024-05-13 . FEI . en.
  9. Web site: 2021-08-01. Fatal injury claims life of Swiss eventing horse on Tokyo 2020 cross-country. 2021-08-26. Horsetalk. en-US.
  10. Web site: Roome. Pippa. 2021-08-01. Horse put down after injury on Tokyo Olympics cross-country course. 2021-08-26. Horse & Hound. en.
  11. News: Rio Paralympics 2016: Iranian Para-cyclist dies after crash. BBC Sport. 17 September 2016.
  12. Book: Kuningas, Tiit. Tiit Kuningas. Tiit Lääne. Tiit Lääne. Olümpiamängude ajalugu II, suvemängud 1920–1944 . History of the Olympic Games II, Summer Games 1920–1944. Maalehe Raamat. Tallinn. et. 2005. 9985-64-255-4.
  13. http://www.arileht.ee/artikkel/414584 Kas Eesti poksija löök põhjustas vastase surma?
  14. News: The Joy of Six: Olympic demonstration sports. Connolly. Paul. The Guardian. 31 July 2016. 17 October 2016.
  15. John E. Findling, Kimberly D. Pelle, Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement, Greenwood Press, 2004,, p. 347.
  16. Book: Judd, Ron C.. The Winter Olympics: An Insider's Guide to the Legends, Lore and The Games. The Mountaineers Books. 2009. 29. 978-1-59485-063-9.
  17. News: Eskenaz. Gerald. 23 February 1992. Albertville; Swiss speed skier killed during a practice run. The New York Times. 15 February 2010.
  18. News: Luge Athlete's Death Casts Pall Over Games. Zinser. Lynn. New York Times. New York City. 12 February 2010. 12 February 2010.
  19. Web site: Olympedia – Edmond Brassart.
  20. Web site: Edmond Brassart. 7 April 2021.
  21. Web site: 8 November 2008. Unhappy Olympic Endings. Past & Present Gymnastics. 1 December 2011.
  22. News: Italian Rower Dies in Crash. 3 December 1956. The Age. 20 August 2016. Google News Archive.
  23. News: '88 Winter Olympics: Notebook; Death on Slopes Is Ruled Accident. Special. 27 February 1988. The New York Times. 52. 1 August 2012.
  24. Wurm. H.. March 1988. In Memoriam Dr. Jörg Oberhammer. Buko-Info. Bundeskonferenz des wissenschaftlichen und künstlerischen Personals der österreichischen Universitäten und Kunsthochschulen. 2. 2. de. PDF. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104407/http://www.tphys.jku.at/group/folk/BUKOINFO/pdf_te/Info1988_Nr2.pdf. 4 March 2016. PDF. dead.
  25. News: German canoe coach dies after taxi crash at Rio Olympics. The Toronto Star. 15 August 2016. Toronto Star Newspapers. 11 September 2020.
  26. Web site: Huy Nhat. VnExpress. National swimming coach passes away in quarantine . 2021-08-26. VnExpress International . en.
  27. Web site: Breen . Kerry . 2024-07-27 . Samoa boxing coach dies at Olympic Village, officials say - CBS News . 2024-07-28 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  28. News: Lima 1964: The world's worst stadium disaster . 4 February 2022 . BBC News . 23 May 2014.
  29. News: Athletics: Memories stirred of Olympic hostage horror. 6 August 2002. 11 October 2012. Brendan. Gallagher. The Telegraph (UK). London, UK.
  30. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-08-sp-17749-story.html "Nigerian Runner Is Killed When Hit by Car in Sydney."
  31. Web site: Seven children die in Paralympics bus crash. The Guardian. Sam. Jones. 28 September 2004. 13 January 2012.
  32. Web site: Games finale cut after bus deaths. BBC News. 27 September 2004. 13 January 2012.
  33. Web site: 香港交警护送马术赛要员车祸殉职 众人致祭(图)-搜狐新闻. 2021-02-04. news.sohu.com.
  34. News: Cyclist dies in Olympic media bus crash. 1 August 2012. BBC Online. 1 August 2012.

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