At the modern
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
, , eight Olympic/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
The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack carried out during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, by eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September, who infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two member ...
.
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
On October 2, 1968 in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City, the Mexican Armed Forces opened fire on a group of unarmed civilians in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas who were protesting the upcoming 1968 Summer Olympics. The Mexican government and ...
in Mexico City in 1968. The
Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Games caused two deaths.
In competition during the Olympics
Horses
*Legény (11) (ridden by
István Visy), HUN
1936, Berlin – euthanised after breaking a leg at fence four
*Slippery Slim (8) (ridden by
John Willems), USA
1936, Berlin – euthanised after breaking a leg at fence four
*Iller (12) (ridden by
Johan Asker), SWE
1956, Stockholm - euthanised after breaking a leg on the cross country course
*Mures II (ridden by
Andrei Cadar), ROU
1960, Rome - collapsed and died after finishing the cross country course
*Jet Set (14) (ridden by
Robin Godel), Switzerland
2020, Tokyo – euthanised after pulling up extremely
lame
Lame or LAME may refer to:
Music
* "Lame" (song) by Unwritten Law
* ''Lame'' (album) by Iame
People
* Ibrahim Lame (born 1953), Nigerian educator and politician
* Jennifer Lame (), American film editor
* Quintín Lame (1880–1967), Colombian ...
on the Sea Forest cross-country course.
In competition during the Paralympics
*
Bahman Golbarnezhad (48), Iran – Cyclist –
2016, Rio de Janeiro –
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...
following crash
During Olympic practice or potentially from competing
*
Nicolae Berechet (20), Romania –
Boxer –
1936, Berlin. Berechet died three days after losing his bout against
Evald Seeberg. His death was officially recorded as being due to
blood poisoning
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is foll ...
, but it has been suggested that damage caused in the fight may have been a factor in his death.
*
Ignaz Stiefsohn (25), Austria –
Gliding (demonstration event) – 1936, Berlin. Stiefsohn was killed on 3 August when his glider broke a wing and crashed during practice.
*
Ross Milne (19), Australia –
Downhill Skiing –
1964, Innsbruck. Milne died in a ski collision with a tree in practice at Innsbruck four days before the opening of the Games.
[John E. Findling, Kimberly D. Pelle, ''Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement'', Greenwood Press, 2004, , p. 347.]
*
Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki
Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki (or Skrzypeski) (25 November 1905 – 22 January 1964John E. Findling, Kimberly D. Pelle, ''Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement'', Greenwood Press, 2004, , p. 346.) was a Polish-born British luge racer.
Skr ...
(58), Britain –
Luge –
1964, Innsbruck. Kay-Skrzypecki died one day after a luge crash during practice at Innsbruck, which occurred eight days before the opening of the Games.
*
Nicolas Bochatay (27), Switzerland –
Speed Skiing
Speed skiing is the sport of skiing downhill in a straight line at as high a speed as possible, as timed over a fixed stretch of ski slope. There are two types of contest: breaking an existing speed record or having the fastest run at a given co ...
(demonstration sport) –
1992, Albertville. Bochatay collided with a snow machine in practice.
*
Nodar Kumaritashvili
, nationality = Georgian
, hometown = Bakuriani, Georgia
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Borjomi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
, death_date =
, death_place = Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
, he ...
(21), Georgia –
Luge –
2010, Vancouver. Kumaritashvili died in a luge crash in practice on the day of the opening ceremony.
Other deaths of Olympic participants
Paris 1900
, (30), France -
Fencer -
1900, Paris - Brassard was killed alongside three others in the collapse of the Passerelle des Invalides, a temporary bridge built for the Exposition Universelle de 1900. This occurred two months after he participated in the Olympic Games but also two months before the Games concluded.
London 1948
In 1948, during the
London Olympics,
Eliška Misáková, one of nine members of the
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
women's team in
gymnastics
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...
, became ill on arrival in the host city. Diagnosed with
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
, she died on the last day of the Olympics, the same day her remaining teammates
won the competition.
Melbourne 1956
Arrigo Menicocci, Italian
rower
Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...
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.
Munich 1972
In 1972, during the
Munich Olympics, the Palestinian terrorist organization
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:
*
Mark Slavin
Mark Slavin ( he, מרק סלבין, russian: Марк Славин; 31 January 1954 – 6 September 1972) was an Israeli Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and victim of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
He was the youngest of th ...
, 18,
Wrestler
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...
*
Eliezer Halfin
Eliezer Halfin (18 June 1948 – 6 September 1972) was a Latvian-born wrestler with the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Along with 10 other athletes and coaches he was taken hostage and later murdered by Pale ...
, 24, Wrestler
*
David Mark Berger
David Mark Berger (May 24, 1944 – September 6, 1972) was an American and Israeli Olympic weightlifter, and one of the 11 Israeli Olympians taken hostage and killed by the Palestinian group Black September during the Munich massacre at the ...
, 28,
Weightlifter
Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lif ...
*
Ze'ev Friedman
Ze'ev Friedman (10 June 1944 – 6 September 1972) was an Israeli flyweight weightlifter. A member of the Israeli Olympic team, he was killed in the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
Biography
Ze'ev Friedman was born in Prokopyevsk, Soviet Unio ...
, 28, Weightlifter
*
Yossef Romano, 32, Weightlifter
*
Andre Spitzer
Andre Spitzer ( he, אנדרי שפיצר; 4 July 1945 – 6 September 1972) was an Israeli fencing master and coach of Israel's 1972 Summer Olympics team. He was one of 11 athletes and coaches taken hostage and subsequently killed by terrorists ...
, 27,
Fencing
Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...
coach
*
Moshe Weinberg, 33, Wrestling coach
*
Yossef Gutfreund
Yossef Gutfreund (1 November 1931 – 6 September 1972) was an Israeli wrestling judge for his country's 1972 Olympic team. He was murdered in the Munich massacre by Black September terrorists along with 10 other members of the Israeli team.
Bio ...
, 40, Wrestling referee
*
Amitzur Shapira, 40,
Track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
coach
*
Yakov Springer, 51, Weightlifting judge
*
Kehat Shorr, 53,
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...
coach
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.
Rio de Janeiro 2016
German Olympic canoe slalom coach and Olympic silver-medalist
Stefan Henze
Stefan Henze (3 May 1981 – 15 August 2016) was a German slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1996 to 2011.
Career
Henze won a silver medal in the C2 event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
He also won six medals ...
, 35, died on 15 August 2016 after his taxi was hit in a high-speed head-on collision in Rio three days earlier.
Tokyo 2020
Huang Guohui, 57, of China, the coach of Vietnamese Olympic swimmers, is suspected of suicide whilst being held under COVID-19 quarantine in Hanoi following the return from Tokyo.
Deaths of non-participants at Olympic-related events
Lima 1964
In a qualifying match for the
Olympic football tournament, home fans began rioting after a late Peru goal was disallowed. Police fired
tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...
into the crowd, exacerbating the situation, which ended with at least 328 deaths.
Mexico 1968
The
Mexico 68
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
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
The Plaza de las Tres Culturas ("Plaza of the Three Cultures") is the main square within the Tlatelolco neighborhood of Mexico City. The name "Three Cultures" is in recognition of the three periods of Mexican history reflected by buildings in ...
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.
Atlanta 1996 (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
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, killing two and wounding over 100 people.
Sydney 2000
Hyginus Anugo, 22, of Nigeria, a
4 × 400 metres relay
The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...
reserve, was struck by a car while crossing a street in Sydney eight days before the Games opened. 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 voluntarily proceeded to Sydney.
Athens 2004 Paralympics
Seven teenagers from
Farkadona
Farkadona ( el, Φαρκαδόνα, ; before 1955: Τσιότι, , ) is a municipality in the southeastern Trikala regional unit, part of Thessaly in Greece. In 2011 its population was 2,652 for the town and 13,396 for the municipality. It is loc ...
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
Kamena Vourla ( el, Καμένα Βούρλα, lit=Burnt Rushes, ) is a town and a municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. At the 2011 local government reform it became part of the municipality ''Molos-Agios Konstantinos'' (of which it became the sea ...
. Out of respect for their deaths, the cultural portion of the closing ceremonies of these Paralympics was cancelled.
Beijing 2008
A
Hong Kong Police
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...
motorcyclist was on a VIP escort to
Sheung Yue River for
2008 Olympic Equestrian events and was killed en route in a traffic collision.
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.
References
{{Olympic Games , state=collapsed
Deaths in sport
History of the Olympics
Paralympic Games