The cyclist who died after crashing on a hilly stretch of the road race course at the Rio Paralympics; Bahman Golbarnezhad from Iran.
A cyclist has died after crashing during one of the road races at the Paralympic Games in Rio earlier today.
The Iranian rider was competing in the C4-C5 road race and crashed on a hilly section of the course.
The International Paralympic Committee said the rider – 48-year-old Bahman Golbarnezhad – suffered cardiac arrest after the cash.
He was taken to hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving there.
The last fatality in competition at a Games was back in 1960 in Rome when Denmark’s Knud Enemark Jensen lost his life in the team time trial event of the Summer Olympics.
It was unclear how Golbarnezhad crashed today, though the incident is under investigation.
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The Paralympic road races used some of the same controversial course as the men’s and women’s road races at the Olympics last month.
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There were a number of bad crashes then that resulted in serious injury and which took out of contention the leaders in both men’s and women’s events in the closing stages.
However, most of those bad falls last month occurred on the descent of a climb that was not part of the Paralympic course today.
The International Paralympic Committee said it was deeply saddened to confirm the death of Iran’s Golbarnezhad, who also competed at the London Paralympics four years ago.
It said Golbarnezhad was involved in a crash at around 10:40am local time on the first section of the Grumari loop, a "mountainous stretch".
A statement added the deceased rider received treatment at the scene and was in the process of being taken to hospital when he suffered a cardiac arrest.
The ambulance was then diverted to another hospital where Golbarnezhad passed away soon after arrival.
His family back in Iran have been told the shocking news and his compatriots have gathered in the athletes’ village, undoubtedly shell shocked.
IPC president Sir Philip Craven said: “This is truly heart-breaking news and the thoughts and condolences of the whole Paralympic movement are with Bahman’s family, friends, and teammates as well as the whole of the National Paralympic Committee of Iran.
“The Paralympic family is united in grief at this horrendous tragedy which casts a shadow over what have been great Paralympic Games here in Rio.”
UCI president Brian Cookson said: “I am devastated to hear about the death of Iranian rider Bahman Golbarnezhad. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and the NPC of Iran to whom we offer our most sincere condolences.”
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