One of the biggest sports tragedies took place in the recent plane crash in Washington that claimed the lives of the World Champion Russian figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov on 29 January 2025 is a devastating reminder that tragedy can strike any moment and leave a ever-lasting impact in the sports world. Recently a hammer-throw tragedy also shook the world.
As we reflect on the darkest moments in sports history, we honour the memories of those who left too soon. This article is about the top 5 sports tragedies that shook the world.
Top 5 Sports Tragedies
Here are the Top 5 Incidents that will not be forgotten.
Plane crash 2025:
The plane crash in Washington has left some doubts in everyone’s mind. The PSA American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 was on air when it crashed with a military Black Hawk helicopter that was conducting a training exercise on Wednesday night. All 67 passengers are presumed dead as the temperature of the Potomac River was below zero when the plane crashed. Among the victims are two legendary figure skaters who died in the crash. Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov were the 1994 World figure skating champions. Two other young skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane also lost their lives along with their family two other young skaters. This event will have a profound impact on the World Figure Skating Championships that will be held in Boston in March this year.
Hammer-throw 2025:
University of Colorado held a sports event at Mountain Lion Fieldhouse for high schools from across Colorado 4 days ago. As a competitor threw his hammer too far from the barriers, a man died after being hit by it. The man is unidentified as the police have not revealed either his or the player’s name. He died protecting his wife and son from the hammer, on the spot. No charges have been filed by the victim’s family, but it’s one of the most unexpected incidents to occur in such a common game as it is one of the top 4 sports played normally in a competition.
Helicopter crash 2020:
The legendary NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. All 9 passengers on board died. John Altobelli who coached at Orange Coast College, and his wife and daughter were also among the 9 victims. There were a lot of speculations about the crash as Kobe had been using the same helicopter for a long time for all his trips, but the excess fog and low clouds might have been the reason for the accident. However, the debate is still ongoing as to why the helicopter was flying so low in bad weather conditions. Nonetheless, the incident marked a black spot in the basketball history.
Plane crash 1989:
The Surinam Airways Flight PY764 crashed on 7 June 1989 claiming the lives of 14 football players. They were flying to raise awareness of the Dutch-Surinamese players. The flight crashed during its approach to Paramaribo- Zanderij International Airport killing 176 people of the 187 on board including the captain of the Netherlands Under-21 team, Andy Scharmin.
Plane crash 1961:
The recent plane crash also resurfaced the painful memories of another incident that occurred in 1961. On 15 February, the entire U.S. figure skating team died in a plane crash on their way to Prague. 72 passengers were killed in the crash out of which 18 skaters and 16 coaches were traveling. The Belgian government ordered a full investigation of the accident however, the reason could not be identified. The plane most likely crashed because of mechanical failures and is still one of the most catastrophic sports tragedies.
