10 Tragedies That Happened During Sports Games

10 Tragedies That Took Place in Sports Games

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at infamous moments in history when disaster struck at sports events. We’ll be exploring incidents that took place during active competition or in the immediate aftermath.

Gansu Ultramarathon Disaster

2021

The annual Gansu ultramarathon was a competition which had long-distance runners competing through the Yellow River Stone Forest in Gansu, China. In 2021, the competition had three events: the 5-kilometer, the half marathon, and the 100-kilometer trail running. During the latter event, disaster struck. Runners were hit by a severe cold front that dropped the temperature to below freezing. The wind speed rose rapidly, destroying some of the athletes’ space blankets as they took shelter. In the end, 21 athletes lost their lives in the tragedy, and 8 were hospitalized. In 2023, 7 people involved in organizing the event were sentenced to jail for failing to protect the athletes.

The Bradford City Fire

1985

In 1985, what should’ve been a day of celebration as Bradford City was crowned the Third Division champions instead ended in horror. Bradford was facing Lincoln City at their home stadium, Valley Parade. With the score 0-0 late in the first half, a fire erupted from the stands. It quickly spread due to the wind. Fans tried their best to escape by going onto the pitch and leaving through the turnstile gates. However, since the gates were locked after kick-off, many people couldn’t leave. Sadly, 56 people lost their lives and approximately 265 were injured. This tragic incident led to a nationwide modernization of football grounds and the removal of wooden stands.

The Ibrox Disaster

1902

Ibrox Stadium, home to the Rangers FC, is one of the most iconic sports grounds in the UK. Yet in 1902, the Glasgow, Scotland-based arena was a place of tragedy. At the time, the Scottish national team took on England in the British Home Championship. Around halfway through the first half, the over-encumbered West Tribune Stand collapsed, sending hundreds of fans falling 40 feet to the ground amongst debris. Altogether, 25 people lost their lives, and over 500 were injured. Even though Ibrox was redesigned in the aftermath, disaster struck again in 1971. After watching their side face rivals Celtic FC, a massive crush happened at a stairway as supporters left, resulting in 66 deaths and over 200 injuries.

The Happy Valley Racecourse Fire

1918

While under British occupation, the Happy Valley Racecourse was built in Hong Kong in 1845 to showcase horse racing. Every February, a Derby Day event was held. Yet 1918 would turn this tradition into a horrifying piece of history. During the event, one of the temporary grandstands collapsed. The debris knocked over food stalls and set the bamboo matting on fire, which rapidly grew. 614 people are said to have lost their lives that day, with an untold number injured. In 1922, the Race Course Fire Memorial was created in So Kon Po to honor the lives lost during the tragedy.

The Port Said Stadium Riot

2012

In 2012, tensions were high as football clubs Al Masry and Al Ahly faced each other in the Egyptian Premier League. After all, some Al Masry fans released a song threatening the lives of Al Ahly supporters who turned up at the Port Said Stadium. After Al Masry won 3-1, thousands of the fans descended onto rival supporters with weapons, sparking a massive riot. Fleeing fans were unable to leave as police reportedly refused to open the gates, leading to further disaster. Altogether, 74 people lost their lives, and over 500 were injured. At least 47 people were arrested for their role in the disaster, including club officials and police officers, 11 of whom were handed death sentences.

The Hillsborough Disaster

1989

Instead of watching a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the semi-final of the FA Cup at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium, England experienced its worst stadium disaster. Shortly into the game, fans began falling from the stands and onto the pitch to escape catastrophe. The pens and stands had been vastly overfilled with supporters by the police, leading to crushes as panic set in. Including those that perished years later from life-changing injuries, 97 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured. Years of inquiries eventually concluded that the police and match officials were being grossly negligent.

The Kanjuruhan Stadium Horror

2022

After their side lost 3-2 at home to rivals Persebaya Surabaya in 2022, thousands of Arema fans in Indonesia invaded the pitch, causing players to seek safety. In an attempt to gain control of the riot, the police fired tear gas at the crowd, yet this only escalated things. Thousands of people ran to the exits in fear. Sadly, at one particular exit, this caused a mass crush that resulted in 135 fatalities and 583 injuries. Several individuals held responsible for inciting the incident were put on trial for their negligence and found guilty.

The Thanksgiving Day Disaster

1900

Since 1892, the University of California, Berkeley’s Golden Bears and Stanford University’s Cardinals have faced off annually in American Football. Yet in 1900, the “Big Game” was mired in tragedy. A group of spectators wanted to save on paying the admission fee and watch the game on the roof of a glass factory. Twenty minutes after kick-off, the roof collapsed. Up to 100 people fell to the factory floor, some hitting the burning furnace, which had a surface temperature of 500 °F. Fuel pipes were also cut, spraying the searing contents and sparking a fire. 23 people perished from the disaster, and over 100 were injured.

The Estadio Nacional Disaster

1964

In 1964, Perú hosted Argentina at the Estadio Nacional in Lima. Late in the game, Peru equalized to make it 1-1. However, the referee disallowed their goal. Outraged Peru fans invaded the pitch, causing the police to try and contain them by using tear gas, even firing it into the stands to deter others. It caused a mass panic as people rushed to the exits. However, large shutters stopped them from escaping and caused a mass crush. This resulted in the worst sports stadium disaster in history, with at least 328 people losing their lives and around 500 injuries.

The Boston Marathon Attack

2013

The Boston Marathon is one of the most iconic long-distance running events in the world. Yet in 2013, instead of being celebrated for the athletic display, the focal point of the coverage on the American competition was catastrophe. Two explosions went off near the finish line amongst the spectators. 3 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured. The homemade devices were placed by extremist brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. A massive manhunt took place to locate them. Eventually, they were discovered. While Dzhokhar was arrested and later sentenced to death, Tamerlan was killed during the shootout with the police.

What other sports tragedy did we miss in the video? Let us know below.