At the modern Olympic Games, up to and including the 2016 Summer Paralympics, nine athletes have died while either competing in or practicing their sport. In addition, another 14 participants have died at the Olympics from other causes; 11 of these deaths resulted from the Munich massacre of 1972.
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 Games caused two deaths.
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In competition during the Olympics
- Francisco Lázaro (21), Portugal - Runner - 1912, Stockholm - electrolyte imbalance
- Knut Jensen (23), Denmark - Cyclist - 1960, Rome - heat stroke
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In competition during the Paralympics
- Bahman Golbarnezhad (48), Iran - Cyclist - 2016, Rio de Janeiro - cardiac arrest following crash
During Olympic practice or after Olympic competition
- Nicolae Berechet (20), Romania - Boxer - 1936, Berlin - Berechet died four days after losing his bout against Evald Seeberg. His death was officially recorded as being due to blood poisoning, but it has been suggested that damage caused in the fight may have been a factor in his death.
- Ignaz Stiefsohn, Austria - Gliding (demonstration event) - 1936, Berlin - killed when his glider crashed during practice.
- Ross Milne (19), Australia - Downhill Skiing - 1964, Innsbruck - Ski collision in practice.
- Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypecki, Britain - Luge - 1964, Innsbruck - Luge crash in practice.
- Nicolas Bochatay (27), Switzerland - Speed Skiing (demonstration sport) - 1992, Albertville - collided with a snow machine in practice.
- Hyginus Anugo (22), Nigeria - 4 × 400 metres relay reserve - 2000, Sydney - struck by a vehicle while training.
- Nodar Kumaritashvili (21), Georgia - Luge - 2010, Vancouver - Luge crash in practice.
Other Olympic deaths
London 1948
In 1948, during the London Olympics, Eli?ka 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.
Melbourne 1956
Arrigo Menicocci, Italian rower who competed in eights, was killed in a car crash in Melbourne on 1 December 1956.
Munich 1972
In 1972, during the Munich Olympics, 11 members of the Israeli team were killed during a terrorist attack by Palestinian terrorists called Black September.
The 11 Israeli Olympic Team members who were murdered in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich are:
- Mark Slavin, 18, Wrestler
- Eliezer Halfin, 24, Wrestler
- David Mark Berger, 28, Weightlifter
- Ze'ev Friedman, 28, Weightlifter
- Yossef Romano, 32, Weightlifter
- Andre Spitzer, 27, Fencing coach
- Moshe Weinberg, 33, Wrestling coach
- Amitzur Shapira, 40, Track coach
- Yossef Gutfreund, 40, Wrestling referee
- Yakov Springer, 51, Weightlifting judge
- Kehat Shorr, 53, Shooting 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.
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 into the crowd, exacerbating the situation, which ended with 318 deaths.
Mexico 1968
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.
1996 Olympic Park Bombing
On July 27, 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 420 people.
Athens 2004 Paralympics
Seven teenagers from Farkadona were killed in a crash whilst travelling to Athens for the Games, when their bus collided with a truck near the town of Kamena Vourla. Out of respect for their death, the cultural portion of the closing ceremonies of these Paralympics were cancelled.
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.
Rio de Janeiro 2016
German Olympic coach Stefan Henze died on 15 August 2016 after his taxi was hit in a high-speed head-on collision in Rio.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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