Athletes who have collapsed during play or training in 2021 / 2022

Are the COVID-19 vaccines causing heart and respiratory problems in athletes?

Much has been made about athletes collapsing on the pitch, in the middle of games, practices or working out. While most people have talked about soccer (football) players, athletes from many different sports have had heart or breathing related issues, some even ending in death.

Many people wonder if all the stories they hear of athletes events are related to COVID-19 vaccines. Most vaccine proponents are quick to reject this idea and fail to even consider the possibility that vaccines could be responsible, while on the other hand, people who are against COVID vaccines are dead set on the idea that the vaccines are definitely the cause. Both hard line positions are wrong, as is usually the case with people whose judgement is clouded by cognitive bias. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in between. Sometimes the vaccines are absolutely responsible while other times it may not have anything at all to do with an event.

While in many cases there is no way to be certain if the vaccine was completely responsible for an athlete who suffers a cardiac related event or death, the question should absolutely be brought up and considered when there have been many reports of issues like the ones we have listed below.

The table below includes news stories of athletes who have had an issue that may be related to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. This does not mean that each case was caused by the vaccine but further investigation is warranted.

Note: This table is scrollable, so scroll to the right to see more columns if you are on a smaller device. We are working on updating this table so there are links to the news sources that have reported these stories.

Athlete Name	Age	Sport	What happened	Date	Team
Ousmane Coulibaly	32	Soccer	Football game abandoned after player collapses on field.	1/10/22	Al Wakrah
Nikoloz Basilashvili	29	Tennis	World tennis number 22 forced to quit Australia Open after clutching chest and being ‘out of breath’	1/7/22
Fabienne Schlumpf	31	Running	Olympic Athlete Develops Myocarditis post vaccine, Possible End Of Career	1/7/22
Jordan Glynn		Basketball	Almost one year after he suffered cardiac arrest, Wisconsin Lutheran’s Jordan Glenn collapses on basketball court for a second time	1/7/22
Miroslav Strbak	32	MMA Fighter	Suffers heart attack during training	1/7/22
Soufian Lokar	30	Soccer	Collapses during game due to heart attack, passes away	12/26/21
Thottiyanda Somanna	23	Hockey	Dies in the middle of a game; heart attack suspected	12/25/21
Marin Cacic	23	Soccer	collapses during training, passes away due to heart failure	12/24/21	Croatia
Omani Al Raqadi	29	Soccer	Oman international footballer collapses during warm-up, passes away	12/23/21
Kevin Gourdon	31	Rugby	Ends career due to cardiac issues	12/21/21
Oscar Cabrera	26	Basketball	Collapses on court mid-game.	12/19/21
Martin Terrier	24	Football	Taken off pitch after pointing to chest	12/17/21	Rennes
Richard Harward	24	Basketball	Out for season due to cardiovascular issue.	12/14/21	BYU
Piotr Zielinski	27	Soccer	Napoli mid-fielder taken off pitch after he motioned to chest and neck	12/12/21	Napoli
Dimitri Lienard	33	Soccer	Midfielder collapses during game	12/9/21	FC Strasbourg
Jake Lever	25		collapses during training	12/8/21	Melbourne
Stefan Jelovac	32	Basketball		12/6/21	AEK Athens
Fabio Pedretti	27	Runner	suffers cardiac arrest during night trial, passes away	12/4/21	Italian professional
Joachim Gerard	32	Tennis	collapses during game in Tokyo after heart problems	12/2/21	Belgian Paralympic
Siobhan Cattigan	26	Rugby	passes away suddenly	12/1/21	Stirling County
Charlie Wyke	29	Soccer	collapses at training, out for foreseeable future	11/25/21	Wigan Athletic
Adam Traore	26	Soccer	collapses on pitch during champions league game	11/24/21
Adama Traore	25	Soccer	Went down clutching his chest while playing against Real Madrid	11/24/21	Sheriff Tiraspon
John Fleck	30	Soccer	midfielder collapses mid-game	11/23/21	Sheffield United
Greg Luyssen	22	Cyclist	forced to end his cycling career after developing heart problems caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.	11/21/21	Belgian
Caen Moore	22	Wrestler	dies unexpectedly	11/18/21
Héctor Vilellas	27	Runner	died in hospital after suffering heart attack during a track race	11/17/21	NSU
Tirell Williams	19	Football	freshman lineman passes away after collapsing on pitch during practice	11/14/21	Fort Scott
Florian Dagoury	34	Freediver	World Record holder in static breath-hold freediving diagnosed with myocarditis post Pfizer	11/6/21
Boris Sadecky	24	Hockey	dies of heart attack during hockey game	11/4/21	Slovak
Sergio Aguero	33	Soccer	Diagnosed with cardiac arryhthmia	11/2/21	Barcelona
Emil Palsson	28	Soccer	Required resuscitation after cardiac arrest	11/2/21	Icelandic
Vittoria Campo	23	Soccer	suffers cardiac arrest and passes away	Nov-1	Palermo
Benedikt Kirsch	25	Soccer	Midfielder and captain collapses during game	11/1/21	Bayreuth
Doudou Faye	35	Basketball	Passed away unexpectedly due to heart attack	11/1/21	Sportif Sfaxien
Blaine Minnesota	28	Hockey	high school hockey player collapses and stops breathing on ice	11/1/21
Sergio Aguero	33	Soccer	Barecelona star striker admitted to hospital for cardiac exam after match	10/31/21	Barcelona
Emil Palssono	28	Soccer	midfielder collapses due to cardiac arrest during game	10/31/21	Sognal
Mohammad Islam	30	Soccer	collapses mid game, passes away	10/28/21	Raziq Football Club Chaman
Raphael Dwamena	26		BW Linz forward collapsed due to heart attack during Austrian Cup third-round against Hartberg	10/28/21
Jayson Kidd	12	Basketball	died after collapsing while doing basketball warm-ups at middle school	10/28/21
Tevita Bryce	28	Rugby	Collapsed on the field while playing. He was in the ICU for days, following a heart attack on the field and then another on the operating table.	10/27/21	Montclair Norsemen
Benjamin Taft	31	Soccer	collapses after game, passes away due to heart attack	10/25/21	SV Unterferrieden
Michaël Englebert	37	Soccer	passes away due to heart attack following game	10/25/21	FC Ortho
Halil Elitok	25	Soccer	midfielder collapses on pitch due to cardiac arrest, in coma	10/25/21	SG Gahmen
Elly Böttcher	17	Soccer	Collapses during away game, transported to hospital	10/25/21	Rostock FC
Cienna Knowles	19	Equestrian	A “super healthy” teen equestrian competitor who was hospitalised last week with blood clots in her chest has blamed the potentially “life-changing” injuries on the Pfizer vaccine.	10/21/21
Meghan Roth	34	Runner	collapses during Boston marathon due to cardiac episode	10/20/21
Ronaldo Cisneros	24	Soccer	suffers heart problem that could end his career	10/18/21	Chivas
Ava Azzopardi	14	Soccer	collapses and suffers cardiac arrest in the under-14/15s grand final.	10/18/21	Runaway Bay
Avi Barot	29	Cricket	cricketer suffers cardiac arrest, passes away	10/16/21	Saurashtra
Felipe Defender	18	Soccer	suffers cardiac arrest during training	10/13/21	Atlético-GO
David Jenkins	31	Diver	Olympic silver medalist diver unexpectedly passes away	10/12/21
David Jenkins	31	Diver	Olympic silver medalist diver unexpectedly passes away	10/12/21
Ewan Fraser	30	Hockey	Suffered cardiac arrest	10/11/21	Glasgow
Ryan Bowman	29	Soccer	striker suffers heart palpitations mid-match during Town’s League One game with Ipswich Town	10/9/21	Schrewsbury
Kyle Warner	27	Pro BMX	pro BMX cyclist has pericarditis post vaccine	10/8/21
Jeremy Chardy	34	Hockey	forward out indefinitely due to myocarditis	10/3/21	Oilers
Josh Archibald	28	Hockey	Oilers hockey forward out indefinitely due to myocarditis	10/3/21	Oilers
Brandon Goodwin	26	Basketball	career over due to blood clots	10/3/21	Atlanta Hawks
Jacob Downey	19	Hockey	passes away after medical emergency	10/1/21	Queens
Antoine Méchin	31	Triathathlete	suffers pulmonary embolism following Moderna. puts an end to his season and “would not get vaccinated again if it had to be done again”	9/27/21	Saintais
Ivan Hicks	16	Football	dies from cardiovascular issues	9/27/21	Philadelphia High School
Jamie Hamilton	19	Football	dies from cardiovascular issues	11/6/21	Philadelphia High School
Tom Felton	34	Golf	Collapses during golf game	9/24/21
John Stokes	21	Golf	hospitalized with heart inflammation and developed myocarditis from the vaccine.	9/22/21	Tennessee Uni
Alex Stalock	34	Hockey	goalie out for the season due to heart condition	9/22/21	NHL Oilers
Helen Edwards		Referee	referee taken off court during World Cup qualifier due to heart issues	9/21/21
Kingsley Coman	25	Soccer	star striker under goes heart surgery after he was discovered to have an irregular heartbeat, his club confirmed.	9/17/21	Bayern Munich
Name Unknown	19	Soccer	suffers cardiac arrest during training with team	9/17/21	FC Nantes
Raul Marte	19	Soccer	SC Austria Lustenau midfielder diagnosed with pericarditis	9/16/21
Parys Haralson	37	Football	Died unexpectedly	9/13/21	Former 49ers/Saints Linebacker
Abou Ali	22	Soccer	professional footballer collapses on pitch during game	9/12/21	Inter Milan
Frederic Lartillot		Soccer	collapses in changing room, passes away due to heart attack after game	9/11/21	Nurieux-Volognat
Dylan Rich	19	Soccer	suffered sudden cardiac arrest on the field, passes away	9/9/21
Dave Hyde	29	Rugby	Collapsed in the changing rooms, passes away	9/8/21	Henley
Jens De Smet	27	Soccer	collapses on field, passes away of heart attack	9/6/21	FCC Filosoof
Florian Ploner	22	Soccer	collapses during game due to heart attack	9/5/21	SC Ferlach
Okafor Kelechi	21	Football	newly recruited footballer dies after collapsing during training	9/4/21	Lion heart Football Club
Ewan Fraser	30	Field Hockey	Heart stopped for over 10 minutes after he collapsed in the middle of game	9/4/21
Vinny Curry	33	Football	out for season due to blood clots	8/25/21	Jets
José dos Reis	29	Soccer	collapsed during game	8/24/21	Red Black Pfaffenthal
Roy Butler	23	Soccer	suffers massive “brain bleed,” dead four days after experimental Johnson & Johnson viral vector DNA injection	8/23/21	Watford FC
Lee Moses	29	Football	He suffered chest pains during practice and died after an unexpected heart attack	8/23/21	Palmerston North FC
Fabrice Nsakala	31	Soccer	collapsed on pitch during game	8/22/21	Besiktas
Dimitri McKee	19	Football	Collapsed during a team practice due to heatstroke. Three days later, McKee died at a hospital in Birmingham.	8/21/21	Robert E. Lee
Cameron Dale	29	Sailor	dies after catastrophic stroke	8/20/21
Jente van Genechten	25	Soccer	collapses on field due to heart attack	8/18/21	Lanaken
Samuel Kalu	24	Soccer	collapses minutes into game	8/16/21	Bordeaux
Quandarius Wilburn	19	Football	died after collapsing during football practice.	8/10/21	Virginia Union University
Rune Coghe	18	Soccer	suffers cardiac arrest on pitch after vaccine	8/7/21	Royal Dottignies
Daniel Brito	23	Baseball	Minor league baseball player collapses on pitch due to stroke	7/31/21	Philadelphia
Ricardo Ladinetti	20	Soccer	Italian professional football player ends season due to heart disorder	7/30/21	Cagliari
Whitnee Abriska	19	Handball	handball professional passes away following cardiac arrest	7/26/21
Santo Giuliano	33	Dancer	suffered cardiac arrest following Pfizer vaccine	7/26/21
Kjeld Nuis	31	Olympic Skater	Diagnosed With Pericarditis After Receiving Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine	7/22/21	Netherlands
Pedro Obiang	29	Soccer	Professional footballer Pedo Obiang has been diagnosed with myocarditis after his COVID-19 vaccination. Obiang, 29-years-old, received his COVID shot in July and was hospitalized shortly after with heart problems.	7/21/21
Mirko Kido	36		Collapsed during a training session. Footage shows the French striker suddenly collapsing to the ground and receiving urgent medical attention.	7/14/21
Mike Salase		Rugby	dies while playing the game	7/10/21	Northland
Jen Gouveia	38	Runner	suffered cardiac arrest during a run	7/8/21
Yusuke Kinoshita	27	Baseball	Dies 5 Weeks After Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine. Kinoshita was hospitalized after collapsing during practice on July 6th and then put on a ventilator until his death on August 3rd. He had received his vaccine just eight days prior to his collapse.	7/6/21
	16	Weightlifting	A 16-year-old youth collapsed following a weightlifting session six days after his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine.	7/5/21
Chinelle Henry	26	Cricket	suddenly collapsed and later on her very close friend and team mate Chedean Nation collapsed too	7/3/21
Chedean Nation	35	Cricket	Collapse on Field During 2nd T20I Against Pakistan Women	7/3/21
Frédéric Loth	40	Soccer	suffers cardiac arrest during training	7/1/21	FC Salouël
Kamila Label-Farrel	19	Basketball	Uni Basketball Star died unexpectedly	6/17/21	Basketball
Paul Zisper	27	Basketball	has emergency surgery after brain hemorrhage related to J and J	6/15/21	Munich
Christian Eriksen	29	Soccer	Collapses at Euros due due to heart failure. Suffered heart attack	6/12/21	Denmark
Christian Eriksen	29	Soccer	Collapses at Euros due to heart issue	6/12/21
Victor Lindelof	27	Soccer	Breathing problems in middle of game and after had to train with heart manitor.	5/11/21	Manchester United
Josh Downie	24	Cricket	dies after heart attack at practice	5/10/21
Roider Carbera	30	Basketball	suffers cardiac arrest and collapses on pitch	5/4/21	AEK Athens
Luis Ojeda	20	Soccer	football player unexpectedly passes away	4/26/21	Argentine
Devaraj Anchan	33	Volleyball	Collapsed while playing in a tournament and died on the way to hospital	3/28/21
Charlie Wyke	28	Soccer	Collapsed in training, was given CPR.	3/26/21	Wigan
Jack Draper	19	Tennis	collapses at Miami Open	3/26/21
Moussa Dembele	29	Soccer	Collapsed in training	3/23/21
Emmanuel Antwi	18	Football	died after collapsing during game	3/22/21	Kennedy High
Raymond van Barneveld	54	Darts	Collapses and recieves paramedic attention	3/19/21
Miguel Lugo	17	Football	Collapsed and died after football practice	3/2/2021	Wallkill High School
Logan Luker	27	Rugby	rugby player who ‘gave his heart’ to the game dies suddenly	2/11/21	Penygraig RFC
Garissone Innocent	20	Soccer	Fell unconscious during game	1/30/2021	SM Caen
Greg van Aevermat	36	Cyclist	loss of form since vaccine	1/9/21
Alex Apolinario	24	Soccer	Brazilian soccer player dies after collapsing on pitch during match	1/8/21