Olympics is all about getting together and celebrating athleticism. It is about celebrating sports and giving a huge platform to the most deserving. For such a big event, it takes lots of time to prepare for – several months. Even athletes prepare for years to win big. There is always live coverage of the games and media seems to cover each and every good moment during the Olympics. What about the brutal and disturbing ones like sudden deaths in Olympics.
1. Romanian Boxer Died Under Mysterious Circumstances
During the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, a Romanian boxer died under mysterious circumstances. Nicolae Berechet was eliminated during the first round of the featherweight class. He fought Estonian boxer Evald Seeberg. A couple of days after the match, Berechet died from blood poisoning. He was buried in Berlin.
2. Leslie Ross Milne
Leslie Ross Milne was only 19 years old when he struck a tree during a practice run. The alpine ski racer from Australia was competing in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. He died from head injuries. Milne died three days after Kay-Skrzypeski’s luge-related death.
3. Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski
Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski died at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, during a training run in luge. The Brit’s toboggan came off the chute. Consequently, the lip curves were added to the tracks. This was the first time the luge competition was added to the Olympic games.
4. Knud Enemark Jensen
During the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, the temperature hit 104℉. The Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen complained to his teammates he was feeling dizzy. The men tried to hold his bike up and pour water over Jensen. However, when they thought he was feeling better they let go of his bike, Jensen fell. He fractured his skull when he hit the pavement. He never regained consciousness. He died the same day.
5. Paralympian Bahman Golbarnezhad
Bahman was an Iranian cyclist on the Paralympic team and he previously competed at the London 2012 games. Unfortunately, he died following a collision with a rock at the men’s cycling event. This is the first time in decades that an Olympian had actually died during an event. A minute’s silence was held for him at the closing ceremony. It’s the government’s responsibility to make sure that the construction of the games is safe and it seems like the Russian government totally failed to do so.
