The Worst Tragedies in Sporting History

The incident in Indonesia shook the world, but it was not the first time lives were lost at a sporting event or in the sporting arena. Editorji looks back at some of the worst tragedies in sporting history till date:

The Munich Olympics 1972 Massacre
The 1972 Munich Olympics held in Germany saw 11 of the Israeli Olympic team athletes held hostage and killed by a Palestinian group Black September

Bradford City Stadium Fire
The worst fire disaster in the history of English football occurred on May 11, 1985 at the Valley Parade Stadium during a match against Lincoln City where a fire engulfed large sections of the stand killing 56 and injuring 256 people.

Puerta 12 Tragedy
After a match between the Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate, a stampede at gate 12, or puerta 12, killed 71 fans and left 150 injured.

Port Said Stadium Riot
The Port Said Stadium Riot happened on February 1, 2012 at Port Said Stadium in Egypt where fans of Al-Masry started to attack the fans of Al-Ahly with knives, stones, bottles and other objects, causing a total of 79 deaths.

Estadio Mateo Flores Disaster
The poor design of the stadium and the incessant number of fans who attempted to enter the venue for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification match between Guatemala and Costa Rica at the Estadio Mateo Flores on October 16, 1996 caused a human avalanche that killed 83 and injured 140 people.

Hillsborough Disaster
Overcrowding in the stadium caused fans to climb over side fences of the Hillsborough Stadium on April 15, 1989 just to be able to witness the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The structure couldn’t hold and 96 people died in the disaster.

Kathmandu Stadium Disaster
Around 93 people were killed and 100 more were injured during the Kathmandu Stadium Disaster when fans attempted to run away from a hailstorm inside the national Dasarath Rangasala Stadium.

Indonesia Disaster
In the most recent disaster till date, at least 174 people were killed and more than 200 sustained injuries after a stampede occurred at Kanjuruhan stadium following a riot that broke out in Indonesia's East Java Province.

Estadio Nacional Disaster
On May 24, 1964 during a playoff game between Peru and Argentina at the National Stadium, major chaos followed the annulment of a goal by Peru when Argentina was already winning one-zero. This angered the fans and the police started to fire tear gas which eventually resulted in the death of around 318 people.

Luzhniki Disaster
During the UEFA Cup second round match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem on October 20, 1982 at the Grand Sports Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium in Russia, the stampede which reportedly started because of a woman's lost shoe killed around 340 FC Spartak Moscow fans.

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