Olympic Games injuries. The turning point: the worst injuries at the Olympics

The Summer Olympics, which are rightfully considered global events, according to historical traditions should be held in the spirit of peace, mutual understanding and friendship. But often generally accepted principles run counter to reality. It's about about the tragedies that happen at the Olympics, when sports holidays are overshadowed by sadness and grief.

Terrorist attack in Munich

September 5, 1972 is the worst and bloodiest day in the history of the Olympics. In Munich, the capital of the next sports festival, a terrorist attack was committed. It claimed the lives of 11 people. Members of the Israeli national team became victims of the bloody massacre. And we must admit that for the first time the Olympics were turned into a means of politics, despising its main principle - sport in the name of peace on Earth.

Eight militants from the extremist organization “Black September”, “famous” for the assassination of Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi Tel and the capture of the Israeli passenger plane, with bags of weapons, freely climbed over the fence of the Olympic Village. It is not known what the German police were doing, but early in the morning the terrorists, led by Lutif Afif (Palestinian fedayeen), easily and freely reached the house at Connolly Strasse 31. It was here that members of the Israeli Olympic team lived in several apartments. These were mainly weightlifters and wrestlers. The Black September militants managed to take the sleeping people by surprise.

Having taken the athletes hostage, the terrorists put forward a demand: the release of more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. If the authorities do not agree to such a condition, then every hour the militants kill a person.

Negotiations with members of the Black September group were difficult. And they revealed, sad as it is to admit, the complete helplessness of the law enforcement system of West Germany. Refusing the help of Israeli special forces and relying on their own forces, the authorities allowed a number of fatal mistakes. For example, they didn’t even really know how many terrorists were on the territory of the Olympic Village. As a result, the operation to free the hostages ended tragically: the captured people died at the hands of militants. Among the victims of the terrorist attack were former Soviet athletes, members of the Israeli national team - wrestlers Eliezer Halfin and Mark Slavin. The latter, by the way, was only 18 years old. Until now, high-ranking German officials are hiding the truth about the terrible events that occurred in Munich. They don't want to present their country in an unfavorable light. And it’s worth special mention about the fate of the surviving terrorists: they did not escape the retribution of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. During Operation Wrath of God, the militants were destroyed. It is curious that on the eve of the Moscow Olympics, the head of the KGB, Yuri Andropov, created the legendary Alpha group to fight terrorism.

Death of runner Francisco Lazaro

His death at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm formed the basis of the novel “The Piano Graveyard,” written by the Portuguese writer José Luis Peixoto. Francisco Lazaro, a carpenter at a car factory in Lisbon, was known in his country as one of the best runners in the world. marathon distances. And evidence of this was the three national championships, where he scored impressive victories. Francisco Lazaro became the first Portuguese to take part in marathon running at the Olympics in Sweden. An ambitious guy, eager for new achievements, suddenly came up with the idea: before the start of the competition, cover most of his body with wax. They say, thereby protecting yourself from sunburn. It was very hot that day. Of course, it was incredibly difficult to escape in such conditions. And already at the 30th kilometer of the distance the Portuguese felt unwell. And after a while, he fell completely exhausted on the asphalt: the trainers and doctors who ran up to him were unable to save the young runner. He died of dehydration. And the cause of death was the notorious wax, which tightly closed all the pores of the body’s skin, limiting sweating.

Atlanta bombings

The 1996 Olympics in the American city of Atlanta almost repeated the fate of Munich. Already at the beginning of the Games, many problems arose related to the quality of the competition. It seems that the organizers of the sports festival were concerned with only one thing: getting more income from the Olympics and completely ignoring the safety of its participants. The lessons of Munich 1972 were apparently completely forgotten and did not teach the leaders of the organizing committee anything. They remembered them only when, on July 27, 1996, Olympic Park, near the village where the athletes lived and trained, a powerful explosion occurred. As a result of the terrorist attack, 2 people were killed and 111 were injured. The vaunted American police, including intelligence agencies, were running wild searching for the criminal. He showed up a year later, organizing similar bombings in Atlanta near an abortion clinic and a nightclub. The terrorist did the same thing in Birmingham, for some reason choosing a medical facility again. The police managed to arrest the organizer of the explosions; he turned out to be a certain Eric Robert Rudolph, who, after an investigation and trial, was sentenced by the American Themis to four life sentences without the right of pardon.

The tragic events of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta prompted Clint Eastwood to create the film “The Ballad of Richard Jewell.” He invited Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio to play the leading roles. The plot of the film is based on real facts and tells the story of the bodyguard Jewell, who discovered a backpack with an explosive device in the park. And he had to inevitably go from a national hero of America to the main suspect in the explosion.

The Greg Louganis Mystery

Sometimes even a feat has its own dark side. This can be seen in the example of American sports legend, ski jumper Greg Louganis. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, an athlete hit his head on the springboard while performing a jump. The wound was quickly treated by the team doctor. Despite the temporary setback. Louganis managed to pull himself together and win the Olympic gold medal.

All of America sang his praises, believing that he had accomplished a real feat. And later very unpleasant details from the personal life of Greg Louganis became clear. It turns out that the national celebrity carefully hid his illness - he was HIV-positive. Only those closest to him were privy to this secret. Olympic champion. Nevertheless, he was allowed to compete. And one could understand the reaction of jumpers who learned about Louganis’ illness. They left the Olympics in broken feelings, with a heavy mood: after all, Louganis’ blood got into the pool. Completely not understanding the inhumanity of his act, the embarrassedly smiling Louganis offered them a belated apology. By the way, Dr. James Puffer, who hastily treated the Olympic champion’s wound without gloves, also experienced fear. And he still thanks fate (as do the participants in the diving competition) that everything turned out well and no one got infected.

Death of a young gymnast

She dreamed of getting olympic gold. The young Czech gymnast Eliska Misakova flew to the 1948 Summer Games in London in a great mood. But on the plane she suddenly felt ill. Eliška suddenly developed a fever. At first everyone thought she had a common cold. But the Czech gymnast’s condition worsened day by day. Soon she was admitted to one of the London hospitals with a terrible diagnosis of polio. Doctors were unable to save the girl’s life: the disease was discovered too late. Eliška's sister Miloslava Misakova, overcoming mental pain, finally stepped onto the gymnastics platform and helped the Czech team win Olympic team gold.

Miloslava died at 93 years old. She is still considered the oldest winner in the Czech Republic. Olympic Games.

Efimova, Velikaya and gymnasts - in silver! Yegoryan is in gold!!!

Russian saber fencer Yana Yegoryan defeated her teammate Sofia Velikaya in the final. The men's gymnastics team took silver!

Skull fracture

In 1960, at the Olympics in Rome, a tragedy occurred with a Danish cyclist. Knud Enemark Jensen. During the 100-kilometer team time trial, he fell off his bike in an unconscious state, as a result of which he suffered a skull fracture and died on the same day. The official verdict was injuries incompatible with life. The cause of loss of consciousness was sunstroke. According to the unofficial version, during the autopsy, traces of amphetamines and drugs to lower blood pressure were found in Jensen’s body. The death of the cyclist changed the sport forever, as the IOC formed a medical commission and coined the term “list of prohibited substances.”

Spinal fracture

During a group cycling race at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a Dutch woman suffered a triple fracture of the spine and a severe concussion. Annemiek van Vleuten. The athlete was confidently in the lead 12 km before the finish, but during one of the turns she crashed into a curb, flew over the steering wheel and hit her head on a concrete fence. The athlete was taken to the hospital in stable condition and even wrote a message to her fans via social media. But so far there are no comments about when she will recover.

Broken arm

In 2008, during the competition weightlifting V weight category up to 77 kg, the audience heard a terrible crash and a loud scream. The Hungarian, trying to make a successful jerk, slightly pulled his right hand back, and it could not withstand the weight of 148 kg. Baranyai fell onto the platform with a broken arm and the bar fell onto his back. Doctors initially stated that the Hungarian weightlifter was unlikely to return to the sport, but he managed to recover.

Dislocated arm and brain

A similar incident occurred in 2012 with the Beijing Olympic champion in the weight category up to 77 kg, a South Korean. His right hand broke with a crunch while attempting to snatch a barbell weighing 162 kg. This injury had a profound impact on the athlete. In December 2015, Hyuk had an argument with national team partner Hwang Woo Man and severely beat him in a bar in Chucheon. The champion was disqualified for ten years, and the victim spent more than a month recovering from the beating.

Ankle fracture

In 2012, during the mountain biking competition at the Games in London, one of the race favorites, a Briton Liam Killey I couldn't complete it. While passing a rocky section on the second lap, Killy fell and suffered a compound fracture of his left ankle. Medical assistance arrived to the athlete quite quickly and immediately evacuated him to the hospital, where the racer underwent surgery. But I had to give up the dream of gold at the home Games.

Patella fracture

In 1976, during the Montreal Olympics, a Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto suffered a fracture while performing floor exercises in the team all-around kneecap. The diagnosis was made by doctors instantly, but Fujimoto refused to withdraw from the competition. He performed on pommel horse and rings and helped his team win gold medals.

Fracture of the tibia and fibula

During the qualifying competition he was seriously injured French gymnast He fell on landing from a vault and suffered an open fracture of his left leg. Later, doctors clarified the diagnosis - a fracture of the tibia and fibula. The Frenchman has already undergone surgery and expects to take part in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Ironically, Said missed the 2012 Games in London due to a similar injury, but on his right leg.

The Summer Olympics, which are rightfully considered global events, according to historical traditions should be held in the spirit of peace, mutual understanding and friendship. But often generally accepted principles run counter to reality. We are talking about the tragedies that happen at the Olympics, when sports holidays are overshadowed by sadness and grief.

Terrorist attack in Munich

September 5, 1972 is the worst and bloodiest day in the history of the Olympics. In Munich, the capital of the next sports festival, a terrorist attack was carried out. It claimed the lives of 11 people. Members of the Israeli national team became victims of the bloody massacre. And we must admit that for the first time the Olympics were turned into a means of politics, despising its main principle - sport in the name of peace on Earth.

Eight militants from the extremist organization Black September, “famous” for the assassination of Jordanian Prime Minister Wasfi Tel and the hijacking of an Israeli passenger plane, with bags of weapons freely climbed over the fence of the Olympic Village. It is not known what the German police were doing, but early in the morning the terrorists, led by Lutif Afif (Palestinian fedayeen), easily and freely reached the house at Connolly Strasse 31. It was here that members of the Israeli Olympic team lived in several apartments. These were mainly weightlifters and wrestlers. The Black September militants managed to take the sleeping people by surprise.

Having taken the athletes hostage, the terrorists put forward a demand: the release of more than 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. If the authorities do not agree to such a condition, then every hour the militants kill a person.

Negotiations with members of the Black September group were difficult. And they revealed, sad as it is to admit, the complete helplessness of the law enforcement system of West Germany. By refusing the help of Israeli special forces and relying on their own forces, the authorities made a number of fatal mistakes. For example, they didn’t even really know how many terrorists were on the territory of the Olympic Village. As a result, the operation to free the hostages ended tragically: the captured people died at the hands of militants. Among the victims of the terrorist attack were former Soviet athletes, members of the Israeli national team - wrestlers Eliezer Halfin and Mark Slavin. The latter, by the way, was only 18 years old. Until now, high-ranking German officials are hiding the truth about the terrible events that occurred in Munich. They don't want to present their country in an unfavorable light. And it’s worth special mention about the fate of the surviving terrorists: they did not escape the retribution of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. During Operation Wrath of God, the militants were destroyed. It is curious that on the eve of the Moscow Olympics, the head of the KGB, Yuri Andropov, created the legendary Alpha group to fight terrorism.

Death of runner Francisco Lazaro

His death at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm formed the basis of the novel “The Piano Graveyard,” written by the Portuguese writer José Luis Peixoto. Francisco Lazaro, a carpenter at a car factory in Lisbon, was known in his country as one of the best marathon runners. And evidence of this was the three national championships, where he scored impressive victories. Francisco Lazaro became the first Portuguese to take part in the marathon at the Olympics in Sweden. An ambitious guy, eager for new achievements, suddenly came up with the idea: before the start of the competition, cover most of his body with wax. They say, thereby protecting yourself from sunburn. It was very hot that day. Of course, it was incredibly difficult to escape in such conditions. And already at the 30th kilometer of the distance the Portuguese felt unwell. And after a while, he fell completely exhausted on the asphalt: the trainers and doctors who ran up to him were unable to save the young runner. He died of dehydration. And the cause of death was the notorious wax, which tightly closed all the pores of the body’s skin, limiting sweating.

Atlanta bombings

The 1996 Olympics in the American city of Atlanta almost repeated the fate of Munich. Already at the beginning of the Games, many problems arose related to the quality of the competition. It seems that the organizers of the sports festival were concerned with only one thing: getting more income from the Olympics and completely ignoring the safety of its participants. The lessons of Munich 1972 were apparently completely forgotten and did not teach the leaders of the organizing committee anything. They remembered them only when, on July 27, 1996, a powerful explosion occurred in the Olympic Park, near the village where the athletes lived and trained. As a result of the terrorist attack, 2 people were killed and 111 were injured. The vaunted American police, including intelligence agencies, were running wild searching for the criminal. He showed up a year later, organizing similar bombings in Atlanta near an abortion clinic and a nightclub. The terrorist did the same thing in Birmingham, for some reason choosing a medical facility again. The police managed to arrest the organizer of the explosions; he turned out to be a certain Eric Robert Rudolph, who, after an investigation and trial, was sentenced by the American Themis to four life sentences without the right of pardon.

The tragic events of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta prompted Clint Eastwood to create the film “The Ballad of Richard Jewell.” He invited Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio to play the leading roles. The plot of the film is based on real facts and tells the story of the bodyguard Jewell, who discovered a backpack with an explosive device in the park. And he had to inevitably go from a national hero of America to the main suspect in the explosion.

The Greg Louganis Mystery

Sometimes even heroism has its dark side. This can be seen in the example of American sports legend, ski jumper Greg Louganis. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, an athlete hit his head on the springboard while performing a jump. The wound was quickly treated by the team doctor. Despite the temporary setback. Louganis managed to pull himself together and win the Olympic gold medal.

All of America sang his praises, believing that he had accomplished a real feat. And later very unpleasant details from the personal life of Greg Louganis became clear. It turns out that the national celebrity carefully hid his illness - he was HIV-positive. Only those close to the Olympic champion were privy to this secret. Nevertheless, he was allowed to compete. And one could understand the reaction of jumpers who learned about Louganis’ illness. They left the Olympics in broken feelings, with a heavy mood: after all, Louganis’ blood got into the pool. Completely not understanding the inhumanity of his act, the embarrassedly smiling Louganis offered them a belated apology. By the way, Dr. James Puffer, who hastily treated the Olympic champion’s wound without gloves, also experienced fear. And he still thanks fate (as do the participants in the diving competition) that everything turned out well and no one got infected.

Death of a young gymnast

She dreamed of getting Olympic gold. The young Czech gymnast Eliska Misakova flew to the 1948 Summer Games in London in a great mood. But on the plane she suddenly felt ill. Eliška suddenly developed a fever. At first everyone thought she had a common cold. But the Czech gymnast’s condition worsened day by day. Soon she was admitted to one of the London hospitals with a terrible diagnosis of polio. Doctors were unable to save the girl’s life: the disease was discovered too late. Eliška's sister Miloslava Misakova, overcoming mental pain, finally stepped onto the gymnastics platform and helped the Czech team win Olympic team gold.

Miloslava died at 93 years old. She is still considered the oldest winner of the Olympic Games in the Czech Republic.

In 2010, the tragedy that occurred during the Olympic Games shocked the whole world. Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died on the bobsleigh track. According to experts, this is the first time a death has occurred at the Olympics. Accidents have occurred very frequently in the history of modern competitions.

1912 - Summer Olympics in Stockholm

Portuguese runner Francisco Lazara was the very first athlete to die before the Olympic Games. The cause turned out to be high temperature. Lazaro covered his body with wax to prevent sunburn. The wax clogged the pores, disrupting the natural evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin. As a result, the fluid balance in the skin was disrupted, leading to dehydration. During the marathon, the athlete fell and died. He was 21 years old.

1960 - Summer Olympics in Rome

Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen collapsed during a race due to a heart attack. He was hospitalized and died a few days later. He was 23 years old. The cause of death turned out to be doping that the athlete took. Since tests monitoring chemical stimulants were introduced only in 1968 at the Olympics in Mexico City.

1964 - Winter Olympics in Innsbruck

Two deaths occurred before the start of the competition. British luger of Polish origin Kazimierc Kai-Skrzypieski died during training when his sled flew off the fence. There, 19-year-old Australian Ross Milne crashed into a tree while skiing. The fact is that the athletes competed without helmets, exposing themselves to serious danger. After a series of accidents, the organizers of the Olympics reviewed safety measures for participants. Namely, additional boards were built to prevent athletes from flying out, and on the ski slope the trees were wrapped with soft material.

UOL Esporte (Brazil)

Translation

1 - Portuguese Francisco Lázaro was the first athlete in history to die at the modern Olympic Games. In Stockholm he collapsed during the race and died a few hours later. According to doctors, the cause of death of the Portuguese was severe dehydration caused by heat of 32 degrees.

2 - DOPING - cause of death in Rome-1960

Doping problems caused the death of Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen during the 1960 Rome Olympics. The athlete felt unwell during the race and suffered a head injury after falling from his bicycle. An autopsy revealed the cyclist had been competing while under the influence of amphetamines, which increased his blood pressure.

3 - Accidents in Innsbruck-1964

Winter Olympics in Innsbruck in 1964, there were two deaths during training. Alpine skier Ross Milne (Australia) lost control on the descent and did not die after colliding with a tree. The IOC said the problem was the 17-year-old's lack of experience. The British luger of Polish origin, Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski, also died during training.

4 - Terrorist attack in Munich, 1972

On September 5, 1972, at the Olympic Games in Munich in Germany, a group of terrorists invaded Olympic Village and attacked the Israeli delegation. Coach Moshe Weinberg and weightlifter Yossef Romano resisted and were eventually machine-gunned on the spot. Nine other members of the delegation - athletes, coaches and officials - ultimately died, and seven others also died in a shootout between police and terrorists.

5 - Training accident, Albertville 1992.

Speed ​​skiing was introduced at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Les Arcs, but the competition was marked by the death of Swiss Nicolas Bochatay, 27. The athlete crashed while preparing for the final exhibition.

6 - TERROR ACT IN ATLANTA-1996

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics were marked by a terrorist attack in Centennial Park on July 27. The explosion occurred during the show and killed Alice Hawthorne and injured 111 others, and led to the death of Melih Uzunyol from a heart attack.

7 - DEATH in Vancouver 2010

On the first day of the Olympic race in Vancouver, Friday 12 February, Nodar Kumaritashvili (Georgia, 21 years old), who competed in Luge(a type of sled in which an athlete rides while lying down) died after a violent collision with a pole during training for a competition in Whistler.