American sportswriter Grant Wahl passed away while covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to a ruptured blood artery.
Grant Wahl, 48, a former Sports Illustrated reporter who later worked for podcast distributor Substack, passed away while covering Argentina vs. Netherlands game.
Grant Gounder’s widow, Dr. Celine Gounder, stated in a written statement that Wahl passed away following the rupture of an undetected, progressively expanding ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium.
According to the NHS, an aortic aneurysm is a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the principal blood vessel that extends from the heart through the chest and stomach. If not detected in time, it can become larger and possibly rupture, resulting in bleeding that might be fatal.
Mr. Wahl, who had switched to the Substack online publishing platform, was tweeting about the Friday match between the Netherlands and Argentina when he passed out.
His agency had previously stated that throughout the quarterfinal game, he appeared to be experiencing some sort of extreme distress.
In a section of the stadium designated for journalists, Mr. Wahl reportedly fell back in his seat during overtime, according to US reporters sitting close to him.
Although emergency personnel arrived extremely promptly in response to their cry for help, they later learned that Mr. Wahl had passed away.
When Mr. Wahl visited a hospital in Qatar last week, the medical staff informed him that he most likely had bronchitis.
According to a biography from the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, he had covered soccer for more than 20 years, including 11 FIFA World Cups (six men’s and five women’s), and had written several books on the subject.
His body was flown back to the US on Monday, after the New York City Medical Examiner’s office conducted an autopsy, according to US State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
In support of the LGBTQ community, Mr. Wahl claimed last month that he was momentarily arrested as he attempted to enter a World Cup stadium in Qatar while donning a rainbow jersey.
He said on Twitter that security personnel “forcibly” took his phone and demanded that he took the shirt off before entering the stadium during his 25-minute detention for wearing it.
This incident happened when he came to Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan to cover the United States vs. Wales game.
Wahl claimed that he was detained for about 30 minutes while refusing to take off his shirt before a security commander arrived to free him.
In addition, Wahl has written about how migrant labourers were treated in Qatar, where hundreds are said to have perished in the years preceding the World Cup.
About Grant Wahl:
Grant Wahl, a native of Mission, Kansas, studied at Princeton University as a freshman.
His contributions to Sports Illustrated and his role as an NPR analyst were well-known. His book, “The Beckham Experiment,” on David Beckham’s entry into American soccer was warmly received.
It was the first bestseller in the New York Times that dealt with soccer.
Top editors at Sports Illustrated revealed late on Friday that he began working there in 1996 and departed in 2020 to explore independent ventures.
