Grapplerinfo.pl broke the tragic news that a competitor died during a gi BJJ event on Saturday at the Lubon Sports and Recreation Centre in Lubon, Poland. Event organizers released an official statement on Facebook, translated by the excellent BJJee.
During our competition, one of competitors died. Some time after the match, in anticipation of the medal, he fainted. Despite immediate medical assistance by rescuers, they failed to save him. In connection with this very unpleasant for us total event, we decided to advance the end of the tournament. Information regarding compensation for players who did not have time to fight, will appear in a few days.
The death did not occur during a match, but rather some minutes afterwards, as the competitor was waiting for his gold medal. There was speculation that the cause of death for the 37-year-old was a heart attack. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
Out of respect, at about 3:00 p.m. event organizers declined to continue with the tournament after the tragedy.
While there have been multiple cases of death from training in BJJ, including in Brazil and Sweden, this is the first known case worldwide of a death during a BJJ tournament, which have a remarkably low injury rate for a combat sport.
While every death is a tragedy, a death in sports must not be taken as an inditement of the entire practice.
Seven athletes have died from injuries sustained while competing in the Olympics – one runner, one cyclist, a boxer, one speed skater, one downhill skier, and two lugers.
Boxing has recorded nearly 1,500 deaths since it’s inception in the 1700s.
Auto racing has killed countess drivers, and spectators are not immune. A single accident in 1955 killed approximately 60 spectators, and the driver.
28 people are beiieved to have died running, in marathons alone, in the USA alone, just from 2000-2009.
In 2005, four runners died, in a single event, the Great North Run half marathon in the UK.
Cheerleading killed 42 between the fall of 1982 and the spring of 2007.
Thus, this death is a tragedy, but is not a statement about the safety of the sport itself.
