The Paralympics has suffered its first tragedy after 48-year-old Iranian Bahman Golbarnezhad who was a paralympic cyclist died following a crash during the cycling event.
The International Paralympic Committee said; “The ambulance then diverted to the nearby Unimed Rio Hospital in Barra where he passed away soon after arrival,”
According to the BBC, an investigation into the death has been launched.
“We’re looking to gather as much information as we can and as quickly as possible – it should take a matter of days,” said Piers Jones, sports director of cycling’s governing body UCI.
Golbarnezhad also competed in London 2012 Paralympics. The Iranian flag was lowered to half-mast at the Paralympic village in a gesture of respect to the fallen hero. There will also be a brief period of silence observed at today’s closing ceremony.
Masoud Ashrafi who represents the Iranian Paralympic committee has said that Iran would be requesting a report on how the death occurred from the International Paralympic committee and that Iran had placed a request for Golbarnezhad’s body to be flown back home.
: “He had been cycling for 12 years and he was our best cyclist. He was married and has a wife and one son” Ashrafi said.
“He was the kind of man who was a family man. He loved his family.”