UCI, Rio 2016 Working on Report Into Cycling Death

(ATR) A report on the death of Bahman Golbarnezhad is expected in the coming days.

Golbarnezhad, a cyclist from Iran, died earlier today after a crash on the road cycling course. Rio 2016 confirmed that Golbarnezhad received medical attention within two minutes of his crash, but suffered a cardiac episode in the ambulance on the way to a local hospital.

Organizers delayed the confirmation of Golbarnezhad’s death to allow for officials to inform his family and the Iranian delegation in Rio. The Iran and Paralympic flags will fly at half staff in the Paralympic Village, and outside of the Riocentro venue during the gold medal match of sitting volleyball.

Golbarnezhad, who was 48, is the first Paralympic athlete to die from competition in any Paralympic Games.

"We’re looking to gather as much info as we can from people in the area and people in the convoy to try and build up as clear a picture as we can," Piers Jones, UCI Sports Director, told reporters. "We’ll be doing that as quickly as possible. It will be in a matter of days. We have taken some witness statements by Forca national and we're working with Rio 2016. It’s a joint investigation with Rio 2016."

Jones confirmed to Around the Rings that the accident did not occur in the same location as Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten. Van Vlueten was injured during the road race in the Olympic Games and suffered three broken vertebrae from her collision.

"The courses are designed to be competitive. All the cyclists here are experienced and the levels of different functional ability are accounted for," Jones said. "There were several different courses being used which reflected the functional ability of the sport classes."

Jones, along with International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven and Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman, offered condolences to the athlete’s family and the entire Iran delegation.

Craven told reporters the incident was an "absolutely tragic day" for the Paralympic family. He said that his "heart isn’t completely broken but it is very, very nearly there".

Both Rio 2016 and IPC organizers stressed that any budget cuts that affected the Paralympics had no bearing on the accident. Rio 2016 chief medical officer Joao Grangeiro said the ambulance attended to the athlete as fast as it could and "has [intensive care] capabilities with all international standards."

"There were no cuts that affected this," Craig Spence, IPC communications director, said. "Everything was in order, and everything was done to try and save him."

Iran National Paralympic Committee secretary general Masoud Ashrafi said the entire delegation in Rio was "disheartened" by the news. He said that the NPC made two requests to Rio 2016 and the IPC. The first request was that the body be transported back to Iran tomorrow, and the second was a full report of the incident be produced.

Ashrafi said Golbarnezhad was "one of the most hard working and active athletes that we’ve had." He is survived by a wife and one child in Iran.

"He was the kind of man that was a family man. Heloved his family and loved his child," Ashrafi said. "I think [his family] is having a very difficult situation at the moment.

"All I can hope for is his body gets to his family and that will be something to make them feel better."

Written by Aaron Bauerin Rio de Janeiro

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