US sportswriter Grant Wahl dies while covering World Cup game in Qatar

Published

2 years ago

December 10, 2022

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An American sportswriter has died while covering the World Cup in Qatar, his family and US Soccer have said.

Grant Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated journalist who later moved to Substack, died while reporting the match between Argentina and the Netherlands, according to NPR.

US reporters sitting near him said he fell back in his seat during extra time, in a part of the stadium reserved for journalists.

They had called for assistance and, while emergency services responded very quickly, they were later told that Mr Wahl – believed to be 49 – had died.

No further details have been released about his death.

His wife Dr Celine Gounder thanked those who had “reached out tonight”, but added on Twitter: “I’m in complete shock”.

Mr Wahl said last month that he was briefly detained when he tried to enter a World Cup stadium in Qatar while wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ community.

Same-sex relations are illegal in Qatar.

Detained for wearing rainbow shirt

He said on Twitter that he was detained for 25 minutes for wearing the shirt, with security guards “forcibly” taking his phone and demanding that he remove the shirt before going into the stadium.

He said he had refused.

Mr Wahl also wrote on Monday that he had visited a hospital in Qatar, saying: “My body finally broke down on me – three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you.

“What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.

“I didn’t have COVID (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media centre today, and they said I probably have bronchitis.

“They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.”

US ‘engaged with senior Qatari officials’

US State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted late on Friday: “We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Grant Wahl and send our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication.

“We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”

US Soccer said: “The entire US soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl.

“Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its major protagonists: teams, players, coaches and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport.

“Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in, and respect for, our beautiful game.

“As important, Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all.

“Grant made soccer his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with us.”

A spokesman for the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of the US journalist Grant Wahl.

“Grant was known for his enormous love of football and was in Qatar to cover his eighth FIFA World Cup.

“He fell ill in the Lusail Stadium media tribune, during last night’s quarter-final match between Argentina v Netherlands.

“He received immediate emergency medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.

“We offer our deepest condolences to Grant’s family, friends and his many close colleagues in the media.”

US

Will a second Trump assassination attempt shift the polls?

Published

6 hours ago

September 20, 2024

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Will a second Trump assassination attempt shift the polls?

With seven weeks to go until the US goes to the polls, Sky’s dedicated team of correspondents goes on the road to gauge what citizens in key swing states make of the choice for president.

This week they focus on the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Mark Stone travels to Florida where the foiled attack took place, while James Matthews has been finding out more about the suspected would-be assassin in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Plus, Martha Kelner attended a Trump town hall in Flint, Michigan, to hear him speak for the first time after the attempt on his life, and asked voters if it will impact the way they vote in November.

👉 Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈

Producer: Rosie Gillott
Editor: Philly Beaumont

US

‘All it could do was spin in circles’: Previous Titan sub passenger says his mission was aborted

Published

9 hours ago

September 20, 2024

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'All it could do was spin in circles': Previous Titan sub passenger says his mission was aborted

A previous Titan submersible dive to the Titanic was aborted due to an apparent mechanical failure, one of the mission’s passengers has said.

Fred Hagen had paid a fee to go on a dive in the Titan in 2021, two years before it imploded and killed all five passengers onboard.

He told a US Coast Guard panel investigating the tragedy on Friday that his trip was aborted underwater when the Titan began malfunctioning and it was clear they weren’t going to reach the Titanic wreck site.

“We realised that all it could do was spin around in circles, making right turns,” Mr Hagen said. “At this juncture, we obviously weren’t going to be able to navigate to the Titanic.”

He said the Titan resurfaced and the mission was scrapped.

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US

Trump-backed North Carolina Republican Mark Robinson denies calling himself ‘black nazi’ on pornographic forum

Published

18 hours ago

September 20, 2024

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Trump-backed North Carolina Republican Mark Robinson denies calling himself 'black nazi' on pornographic forum

A Republican backed by Donald Trump in his bid to be North Carolina’s governor denied reports he called himself a “black nazi” on an online message board.

CNN reported Thursday that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson posted racial and sexual comments on a pornography website more than a decade ago.

In a video posted on social media, the Republican nominee said he would not leave the race over “salacious tabloid lies”.

“We are staying in this race. We are in it to win it. And we know that with your help, we will.”

Follow the latest on the US election here

Mr Robinson also referenced the CNN report and said: “Let me reassure you the things that you will see in that story – those are not the words of Mark Robinson.

“You know my words. You know my character.”

The US outlet reported Mr Robson wrote of being aroused by a memory of “peeping” women in gym showers when he was 14.

He was also said to have used a racial slur when discussing civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, referred to himself as a “black nazi,” and said: “I’d take Hitler over any of the shit that’s in Washington right now.”

CNN said it matched details of the account on the pornographic website forum to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, a known email address and his full name.

Sky News has not verified whether the account is linked to Mr Robinson.

Eight minutes after the report was published on Thursday, vice president Kamala Harris’ campaign started sharing videos of Donald Trump praising Mr Robinson.

One video from the campaign on X shows the former president at a March rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he called the lieutenant governor “Martin Luther King times two”.

“I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two,” Mr Trump said.

Scott Lassiter, a GOP Senate candidate in a swing district in the state, called on Mr Robinson to “suspend his campaign to allow a quality candidate to finish this race”.

Mr Trump’s campaign also appeared to be distancing itself from Mr Robinson.

The ex-president did not refer to the controversy when he addressed Jewish donors on Thursday night, instead vowing to be ‘the best friend Jewish Americans ever had”.