List of accidents involving sports teams

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More than 100 accidents worldwide have killed or seriously injured all or part of a major sports team, in team-related circumstances that often receive widespread publicity. This list is organized into two sortable tables, summarizing aviation accidents and non-aviation accidents. The list does not attempt to include infectious disease outbreaks, or teams that were targets of violent attacks, or countless athletes who experienced individual accidents.

Vladimir Putin placing red flowers along a row of large framed photos of the deceased Lokomotiv hockey players.
Vladimir Putin at the funeral for the Lokomotiv hockey team

The deadliest known accident for a single team was a November 1970 plane crash in West Virginia, whose fatalities included 37 members and 5 coaches of the Marshall University football team. Aviation accidents involving sports teams have decreased substantially since peaking in the 1970s, in parallel with peacetime aviation accidents overall.[1][2] Serious non-aviation team accidents have most commonly involved buses, but also trains, boats, vans, cars, bicycles, bobsleds, avalanches, lightning, fire, bridge collapse, and carbon monoxide, without a clear trend toward improvement over the decades.

In response to team accidents, several sports leagues have established procedures for a "disaster draft", a contingency plan for rebuilding a team if many players are killed or disabled. The Kontinental Hockey League implemented such a plan in 2011[3] when the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash in Russia killed 26 players and 3 coaches, second only to the 1970 Marshall football crash.

Casualties from aviation accidents

(Click on date for associated article and references, where present.)

More information Date, Team ...
DateTeamSportAirlineAircraftLocationFatalitiesDescriptionRef.
TotalTeam
31 March 1931Notre DameAmerican footballTranscontinental & Western AirFokker F-10Bazaar, Kansas, United States81Famed football coach Knute Rockne killed, when a wooden wing failed.
31 March 1933 Winnipeg Toilers Basketball Private plane Ford Tri-Motor Neodesha, Kansas, United States 6 2 Crashed into a field attempting a forced landing on a flight from Tulsa. [4]
13 January 1946 Army swimming team Swimming US Army Air Forces Curtiss C-46 Commando Pacific Ocean near Majuro, Marshall Islands 12 0006 c.6 Crashed on a flight to Johnston Island; 17 passengers swam to shore; 6 passengers and 6 crew missing. [5][6][7]
6 August 1947 Army-Navy softball team Softball US Navy Consolidated PBY Catalina Alaska, United States 20 13 Disappeared flying from Kodiak to Dutch Harbor (Unalaska). [8]
11 January 1948 BBC Santiago Baseball Dominicana de Aviación Douglas C-47 Yamasa, Dominican Republic 32 0020 c.20 Team was returning from matches in Barahona and encountered severe weather, crashing into a mountain trying to divert to Ciudad Trujillo. [9]
8 November 1948Czechoslovak national ice hockey teamIce hockey Escadrille Mercure Taxis Aeriens Beechcraft C18S English Channel 86Six players of Czechoslovak national ice hockey team including Ladislav Troják were killed on their way to Great Britain. [10]
4 May 1949Torino FCAssociation footballAvio Linee ItalianeFiat G212CPSuperga, Turin, Italy312318 players of the Grande Torino and five club officials were killed when the plane crashed on its landing approach to the Turin airport.
7 January 1950VVS MoscowIce hockeySoviet Air ForceLisunov Li-2Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union1913Almost the entire team was killed in a fifth attempt to land at Koltsovo Airport in Sverdlovsk (modern-day Yekaterinburg), during a heavy snowstorm with strong winds. Some sources give the crash date as 5 January.
24 November 1956TJ Baník ChomutovIce hockeyCzechoslovak AirlinesIlyushin Il-12BEglisau, Switzerland235Three players, two top club officials and a reporter were among others on the scheduled flight from Zurich to Prague, which crashed in fields after an engine failure. All on board perished.[11][12]
9 December 1956Saskatchewan Roughriders,
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Canadian footballTrans-Canada Air LinesCanadair North StarChilliwack, British Columbia, Canada625Five players were killed returning from that year's all-star game in Vancouver. The plane crashed into Mount Slesse near Chilliwack after encountering severe icing and turbulence over the mountains.
6 February 1958Manchester UnitedAssociation footballBritish European AirwaysAirspeed AS-57 AmbassadorMunich, West Germany2311Eight players and three club staff members were killed when their plane's takeoff failed during a snowstorm, after a Munich stopover from a match in Belgrade. Manager Matt Busby and nine players survived, including two with career-ending injuries.[13]
14 August 1958Egypt national fencing teamFencingKLMLockheed L-1049 Super ConstellationAtlantic Ocean off Ireland996Six players killed; possible propeller failure.
16 July 1960Danish Olympic football triallistsAssociation footballZone-RedningskorpsetDe Havilland Dragon RapideCopenhagen, Denmark88Eight players killed in a botched takeoff.
29 October 1960California Polytechnic State UniversityAmerican footballArctic PacificCurtiss C-46 CommandoToledo, Ohio, United States221716 players and a student manager were killed, when their plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
15 February 1961US Figure SkatingFigure skatingSabenaBoeing 707Brussels, Belgium7325Entire team killed while en route to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Likely mechanical failure during the plane's landing approach.
3 April 1961Green CrossAssociation footballLAN ChileDouglas C-47Andes Mountains, Chile248Eight members of the team killed in unexplained crash.[14]
6 February 1965Antonio Varas (Santiago) Association footballLAN ChileDouglas DC-6Andes Mountains, Chile872222 players and staff of team killed, from pilot error in the Andes.
28 January 1966Italy national swimming teamSwimmingLufthansaConvair CV-440Bremen, West Germany468Eight members of team were killed, in a failed landing.
28 April 1968Lamar Tech track teamAthleticsPrivate planeBeechcraft Model 65 Queen AirBeaumont, Texas, United States76Failed landing killed 5 team members, the coach, and the pilot after a possible heart attack.[15]
26 September 1969The StrongestAssociation footballLloyd Aéreo BolivianoDouglas DC-6Viloco, Bolivia742017 players and three team staff members were killed, in a crash attributed to pilot error.
15 February 1970Puerto Rico women's national volleyball teamVolleyballDominicana de AviaciónMcDonnell Douglas DC-9Caribbean Sea near Las Américas Int'l Airport10212The head coach and eleven players were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, likely due to water-contaminated fuel.[16]
1 April 1970Novosibirsk youth ice hockey teamIce hockeyAeroflotAntonov An-24BToguchin vicinity, Soviet Union450020 c.20Caused by a nighttime collision with a weather balloon. The team was on its way to the Golden Puck tournament. There were no survivors.[17]
2 October 1970Wichita State UniversityAmerican footballGolden Eagle AviationMartin 4-0-4Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States311514 players and coach Ben Wilson were killed by a mountainside crash, in one of two planes en route to a game vs. Utah State University. Another plane with reserve players and assistant coaches landed safely in Utah.
14 November 1970Marshall UniversityAmerican footballSouthern AirwaysMcDonnell Douglas DC-9Wayne County, West Virginia, United States754237 team members, 5 coaches, and 7 staff members were among the passengers killed as their plane hit the tree line and exploded during final approach to Huntington/Tri-State Airport. The team was returning to campus after a game at East Carolina University.[18]
13 October 1972Old Christians ClubRugby unionUruguayan Air ForceFairchild FH-227Andes Mountains, Argentina2912Plane crashed from navigation error, high in the remote Andes. 29 deaths included 11 rugby players and the team physician. 16 starving survivors cannibalized the dead, until rescue on 21–23 December.
28 February 1973Kyzylorda Region women's basketball teamBasketballAeroflotYakovlev Yak-40Semipalatinsk Airport, Soviet Union321311 players, coach, referee; plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
3 March 1974Bury St Edmunds Rugby ClubRugby unionTurkish AirlinesMcDonnell Douglas DC-10Ermenonville Forest, France3461818 rugby players and an Olympic track medalist were among the 346 occupants killed shortly after takeoff from Paris, when a faulty cargo door blew out, decompressed the plane, and severed control of the tail section.
13 February 1975Västra Frölunda IFIce hockeyBaron AirCessna 402Gävle, Sweden00Frölunda chartered three planes to carry the team. Seven players were injured when Baron Air SE-GGN crashed.[19][20]
29 November 1975Embassy Racing With Graham HillAuto racingGrand Prix (Bahamas) LtdPiper PA-23North London, England66Six team members were killed while returning from a test session at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. The dead included recently-retired double Formula One champion Graham Hill (who piloted the plane) and driver Tony Brise.
6 October 1976Cuba national fencing teamFencingCubana de AviaciónDouglas DC-8Atlantic Ocean off Barbados732424 members of the 1975 Cuban national fencing team were all killed as a result of a pair of bombs on board.
13 December 1977University of EvansvilleBasketballAir IndianaDC-3Evansville, Indiana, United States2919Entire team (save one player) and coaching staff, along with members of the press, boosters, and plane crew, were all killed in a crash shortly after takeoff from Evansville en route to a game against Middle Tennessee State University. The sole team member who did not board the plane died in a car crash two weeks later.
16 March 1978Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics team; Polish track cycling teamRhythmic gymnastics; Cycle racingBalkan Bulgarian AirlinesTupolev Tu-134Gabare, Bulgaria73115 Bulgarian gymnasts with coach; 5 Polish cyclists; suspected military responsibility
11 August 1979Pakhtakor TashkentAssociation footballAeroflotTupolev Tu-134Dniprodzerzhynsk, Soviet Union17817Team killed in mid-air collision. Two air traffic controllers received long prison sentences.
10 January 1980Louisiana State UniversityAmerican footballPrivate planeCessna 441 Conquest IIAtlantic Ocean off Virginia, United States21Coach Bo Rein and the pilot, most likely incapacitated by a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen, were killed when the plane flew far off-course and crashed after running out of fuel.[21]
14 March 1980USA Boxing teamBoxingLOT Polish AirlinesIlyushin Il-62Warsaw, Poland8714Killed 14 American boxers and 8 staff members; engine shattered during landing approach.
25 November 1985Iowa State Cyclones women's cross country teamCross country runningPrivate planeAero Commander twin-engineDes Moines, Iowa, United States76All aboard were killed, returning from the NCAA Championships. Other cross-country team members and coaching staff were aboard two other planes, which safely made the trip the same night.[22]
8 December 1987Alianza LimaAssociation footballPeruvian NavyFokker F27Pacific Ocean near Lima, Peru421716 players, coach Marcos Calderón, 12 team staff, and 8 cheerleaders among the dead, due to pilot errors on landing approach.[23]
7 June 1989Colourful 11Association footballSurinam AirwaysDouglas DC-8Paramaribo, Suriname17615Pilot errors on landing approach; 14 players and their coach died; 3 players survived with career-ending injuries.
1 April 1993Alan Kulwicki RacingAuto racingPrivate planeSwearingen Merlin IIIBlountville, Tennessee, United States41NASCAR driver Alan Kulwicki, two executives of his corporate sponsor Hooters, and the pilot were killed while on approach to Tri-Cities Regional Airport.
27 April 1993Zambia national football teamAssociation footballZambian Air ForceDe Havilland Canada DHC-5 BuffaloAtlantic Ocean off Gabon3020All aboard were killed when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, including 18 players and 2 coaches. Several team members were not on the flight.
18 September 1994Iwuanyanwu NationaleAssociation footballOriental AirwaysBAC One-ElevenTamanrasset, Algeria52Two players on the Nigerian team Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland FC) and three crew members were killed, when their charter aircraft crashed on landing in Algeria for a stopover on their return flight from Tunisia to Nigeria.
25 October 1999PGA TourGolfSunJet AviationLearjet 35Mina, South Dakota, United States61Golfer Payne Stewart, two agents, a golf architect, and the two pilots were incapacitated by a loss of cabin pressure and oxygen. The plane flew far off-course and crashed after running out of fuel.
27 January 2001Oklahoma State UniversityBasketballCharter flightBeechcraft Super King AirStrasburg, Colorado, United States102Two players killed, as well as some team staff and media[24]
24 October 2004Hendrick MotorsportsAuto racingCharter flightBeechcraft Super King AirMartinsville, Virginia, United States103All aboard were killed, including race team president John Hendrick, chief engine builder Randy Dorton, and former driver Ricky Hendrick.
30 March 2008Apex MotorsportsAuto racingCharter flightCessna Citation 501Farnborough, London, England53All killed including team manager (Richard Lloyd), driver (David Leslie) and their data engineer.
24 August 2008Kyrgyzstan junior men's volleyball teamVolleyballIran Aseman AirlinesBoeing 737-200Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan651010 players killed when the pilot unsuccessfully tried to return to the airport after finding a door improperly sealed.[25]
15 July 2009Iran national youth judo teamJudoCaspian AirlinesTupolev Tu-154MQazvin, Iran16810Killed all aboard, including 8 athletes and 2 coaches; engine shattered after takeoff.[26]
7 September 2011Lokomotiv YaroslavlIce hockeyYak-ServiceYakovlev Yak-42Yaroslavl, Russia442926 players and 3 coaches killed in a botched takeoff.[27]
17 November 2011Oklahoma State UniversityBasketballCharter flightPiper PA-28 CherokeePerryville, Arkansas, United States42Head coach, assistant coach, 82-year-old pilot and his wife; unexplained loss of control[28]
28 November 2016 Chapecoense Association football LaMia, Bolivian charter flight Avro RJ85 (BAe 146) La Unión, Antioquia, Colombia7120Plane ran out of fuel and crashed near Medellín, Colombia, en route to the Copa Sudamericana Finals. Among those killed were 19 players and their coach, many staff members, officials and journalists. Three players survived the crash, one with a career-ending injury. [29]
24 January 2021 Palmas Association football Charter flight Beechcraft Baron Porto Nacional, Tocantins, Brazil65Crashed at Luzimangues, a district of Porto Nacional, Tocantins, Brazil. Four players and the president of the Brazilian club Palmas were killed, traveling for the Copa Verde tournament. [30]
29 January 2025 US Figure Skating Figure skating American Eagle Bombardier CRJ701ER Washington, DC, United States 67 15 Collided with an Army helicopter while landing, with both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River. Passengers included 11 young skaters, their parents, and 4 prominent Russian-American coaches, all returning from an event in Kansas. Six of the victims were associated with Skating Club of Boston. [31]
29 April 2026 Amarillo Pickleball Club Pickleball KB Flies Cessna 421 Golden Eagle Wimberley,

Texas, United States

5 5 The airplane was en route when it assumed an erratic flight path and disappeared from radar. When the wreckage was subsequently found, all five occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. [32]
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Casualties from non-aviation accidents

(Click on date for associated article and references, where present.)

More information Date, Team ...
DateTeamSportSettingLocationTotal FatalitiesDescriptionRef.
31 October 1903Purdue UniversityAmerican footballTrainIndiana, United States1714 members of team killed in head-on collision with another train.
7 June 1922British Mount Everest expeditionMountaineeringMountainMount Everest, Tibet7Team members set a new world-record climbing height and earned Olympic gold medals, but failed to complete the first ascent of Everest, and 7 of their Sherpa porters were killed by an avalanche.
22 January 1927Baylor UniversityBasketballBusTexas, United States1010 members of team killed in bus-train collision.
3 October 1936L'Aquila CalcioAssociation footballTrainContigliano, Lazio, Italy15 minimumCoach died and most playing careers ended, from a head-on crash on the Terni–Sulmona railway. Team was relegated and never recovered the second-tier Serie B league.[33]
10 February 1949Belgian bobsled teamBobsledBobsledLake Placid, New York, United States1Max Houben killed in bobsled crash; teammate seriously injured[34]
11 March 1949St. Edward High SchoolBasketballCarElgin, Illinois, United States04 students and 3 radio station workers were badly injured returning from a basketball game, when their 1949 Ford Station Wagon collided head-on with a Buick.[35]
8 July 1951Thor AkureyriAssociation football; AthleticsBusÓshlíð, Iceland22 members of club killed, from the football team and the athletics team, when a boulder fell on their bus[36]
31 January 1953Swiss bobsled teamBobsledBobsledGarmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany1Felix Endrich killed in bobsled crash; 2 teammates seriously injured[37]
5 February 1966German bobsled teamBobsledBobsledCortina d'Ampezzo, Italy1Anton Pensperger killed in bobsled crash; 2 teammates seriously injured[38]
22 February 1966Canadian bobsled teamBobsledBobsledLake Placid, New York, United States1Sergio Zardini killed in bobsled crash; teammate seriously injured[39]
5 April 1970Japanese Everest Skiing ExpeditionMountaineeringMountainMount Everest, Nepal6Team member Yūichirō Miura became the first person to ski down Everest, but 6 Sherpa porters were killed by an avalanche.
3 January 1973Vestal High SchoolSwimmingBusNew York, United States33 members of the boys' swimming team killed, 15 others injured, when their bus skidded on ice and overturned.[40]
24 November 1974Sherbrooke CastorsIce hockeyBusQuebec, Canada11 member of team killed, 29 injured[41]
27 June 1975 PGA Tour Golf Golf course Oak Brook, Illinois, United States 0 Lightning hospitalized Jerry Heard, Bobby Nichols, and Lee Trevino. [42]
12 May 1977 Anderson College Tennis Van Marion, North Carolina, United States 5 Coach and 4 tennis players from Anderson College (now University) were killed; 2 players survived. [43]
14 August 1979Fastnet Race sailing crewsYacht racingSailboatsCeltic Sea2115 competitors and 6 observers died at sea in a violent storm.[44]
21 January 1984University of OregonWrestlingBusOregon, United States22 killed, 10 others hospitalized, when their bus skidded down an embankment in snowy conditions that soon crashed another wrestling team in Montana ...[45]
21 January 1984Whitefish High SchoolWrestlingBusMontana, United States99 killed, including cheerleaders, wrestling coaches and family members, and 19 others injured, when their bus skidded on ice and collided with a jackknifed tanker truck.[46][47]
30 December 1986Swift Current BroncosIce hockeyBusSaskatchewan, Canada44 members of team killed
10 May 1987Querétaro FCAssociation footballBusSan Luis Potosí, Mexico33 members of team killed[48]
20 January 1989SamsunsporAssociation footballBusSamsun, Turkey53 players, coach and driver killed; 2 players received career-ending injuries.[49]
24 January 1992University of Notre DameSwimmingBusIndiana, United States22 members of the women's swim team killed[50]
21 May 1992California AngelsBaseballBusNew Jersey, United States0Manager Buck Rodgers, 3 coaches, 4 players, and 4 others were injured when their bus ran off the New Jersey Turnpike near Woodbury.[51]
14 July 1997Australian national teamBowling; Contract bridgeFootbridgeTel Aviv, Israel44 players killed, 60+ injured, after a footbridge collapsed into a polluted river during the opening ceremony for the Maccabiah Games.[52]
5 November 1997CourmaostaIce hockeyCarAosta Valley, Italy11 player killed, 2 injured[53]
25 October 1998 Moroka Swallows Association football Playing field Johannesburg, South Africa 0 Lightning injured several players, 2 hospitalized. [54]
27 December 1998Sydney-Hobart sailing crewsYacht racingSailboatsTasman Sea, Australia66 sailors died in a hurricane-force storm.[55]
24 October 2002 Deportivo Cali Association football Playing field Cali, Colombia 2 Lightning killed 2 players, hospitalized 3 more. [56]
29 January 2005Windsor Wildcats U-21 female hockey teamIce hockeyBusGeneseo, New York, United States4Team coach, 2 passengers, and truck driver killed, 19 others injured, when the team bus veered off the road and hit an illegally parked truck.[57][58][59]
2 March 2007Bluffton UniversityBaseballBusAtlanta, Georgia, United States75 members of team killed, and 2 bus drivers, when their bus mistakenly drove onto a highway's poorly labeled exit ramp.
12 January 2008Bathurst High SchoolBasketballVanNew Brunswick, Canada87 members of team killed, and 1 teacher, when their van slid into an oncoming truck on an icy road.
15 January 2009Brasil de PelotasAssociation footballBusCanguçu, Brazil32 players and one member of staff killed[60]
18 July 2009Dynamo KhmelnytskyiAssociation footballBusLetychiv, Ukraine11 player killed, 2 seriously injured, when their bus was hit by a truck.[61]
14 April 2012Farallones Race sailing crewYacht racingSailboatFarallon Islands, California, United States5Capsize killed 5 from crew of 8, near a rocky coast.[62]
16 March 2013Seton Hill UniversityLacrosseBusPennsylvania, United States21 coach and 1 bus driver killed[63]
18 February 2014 Mes Kerman Association football Bus Kerman-Tehran Road, Yazd province, Iran 15 15 members of team killed, 19 injured, when their drowsy bus driver veered into a deep ravine. [64]
28 February 2014Carleton CollegeUltimate frisbeeCarMinnesota, United States33 members of team killed, 2 seriously injured[65]
26 September 2014North Central Texas CollegeSoftballBusOklahoma, United States44 members of team killed; 15 others injured
23 January 2016 Giant-Alpecin cycling team Cycle racing Bicycles Calpe, Spain 0 6 German cyclists received multiple fractures, struck head-on by the car of a British tourist on the wrong side of the road. [66]
6 January 2017Lindenwood UniversityIce hockeyArenaWentzville, Missouri, United States019 women's hockey players (including 1 from University of Wisconsin) hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning from an Olympia ice resurfacing machine[67]
6 April 2018Humboldt BroncosIce hockeyBusSaskatchewan, Canada1610 players, 2 coaches, statistician, radio announcer, athletic trainer, and bus driver killed, when a truck sped through a stop sign; 13 injured including 2 paralyzed players.[68]
8 February 2019Flamengo Youth AcademyAssociation footballDormitoryRio de Janeiro, Brazil1010 teenage footballers killed, 3 hospitalized, from a dormitory fire.[69]
15 January 2020College of the Holy CrossRowingVanVero Beach, Florida, United States11 member of women's rowing team killed, 7 others hospitalized, when their van made a left turn into the path of a truck.[70]
13 March 2021 Shahrdari Noshahr FC Association football Bus Chalus Road, Iran 1 1 member of team killed, 18 hospitalized, when an avalanche overturned their bus [71][72]
15 March 2022University of the SouthwestGolfVanAndrews County, Texas, United States96 members of the men's and women's golf teams were killed returning from New Mexico, along with the head coach and two others, when a pickup truck crossed the centerline and struck the team van.[73]
21 August 2022 Indiana State University American football Car Indiana SR 46, Riley, Indiana, United States32 football players and the student driving the car were killed; 2 other players were injured.[74][75]
30 January 2023 Vila Maria Helena FC Association football Bus Além Paraíba, Brazil 4 The U16, U18 and U20 teams were returning to Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, after a youth tournament in Ubaporanga. The bus fell off a bridge; 3 players and 1 adult died; 29 were hospitalized. [76]
12 August 2023 Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC Association football Car Chư Pưh district, Gia Lai, Vietnam 3 Collision with two trucks killed the car's 3 passengers: a player, an assistant coach, and the team doctor. [77]
24 December 2023 Bam Khatoon FC Association football Car Kerman-Bam Road, Kerman province, Iran 1

A rollover accident killed a member of the women's football club. Two teammates and the male driver were hospitalized.

[78]
19 August 2024 Glacier High School Association football Playing field Kalispell, Montana, United States 0 Lightning hospitalized a coach and 2 players, 1 critically. [79]
21 September 2024 Coritiba Crocodiles American football Bus Rio de Janeiro vicinity, Brazil 3 3 players were killed and at least 6 hospitalized; bus flipped en route to their national championship game. [80]
3 November 2024 Familia Chocca Association football Playing field Chilca, Peru 1 Lightning left 1 player dead and 4 others hospitalized. [81]
27 January 2025 German national cycling team Cycle racing Bicycles Mallorca, Spain 0 6 German cyclists received multiple fractures, struck head-on by a car driven by an 89-year-old man. [82]
8 June 2026 Ateneo de Manila University Basketball Beach Dipaculao, Aurora, Philippines 2 Two basketball players drowned during a team-building trip. [83]
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See also

A few notable sports-related accidents that don't quite satisfy the list criteria:

In addition, Category:Deaths in sport identifies and classifies thousands of individual fatalities related to sporting events.

References

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