More Details Emerge Regarding What May Have Caused The Death Of World Cup Reporter Grant Wahl In Qatar
Grant Wahl, an American journalist who helped grow the popularity of soccer in the U.S. and reported on some of the biggest stories in the sport, died Saturday while covering a World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. He was 48.
Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Stadium reserved for journalists during extra time of the game, and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance.
Emergency services workers responded very quickly, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on site and then took him out on a stretcher, said Keir Radnedge, a veteran British sports journalist who was working nearby at the time.
The World Cup organizing committee said he was taken to Doha's Hamad General Hospital, but it did not state a cause of death. "We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family's wishes," it said in a statement.
However, CBS has since reported that the World Cup reporter died as the result of a heart attack.
Many athletes were very touched by Grant during his life.
In 2002, Wahl wrote an article about a high school basketball phenom from Akron, Ohio named LeBron James, which famously graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the title "The Chosen One."
"Very fond of Grant, and having that cover shoot, me being a teenager and him covering that, was a pretty cool thing. ... I've always kind of watched from a distance," said James on Friday. "It's a tragic loss. It's unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was."
Grant was also a huge advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
While in Qatar for the World Cup, Wahl, who recently wrote for his own substack, continued to be outspoken in his coverage, whether it was wearing a rainbow shirt to support the LBGTQ+ community in a country where homosexuality is illegal (for which he was detained), or calling out Qatar's lack of empathy after yet another migrant worker's death.
"It's really important to me and it's not required by any stretch of the imagination," said Wahl of wearing the rainbow shirt to CNN. "I've got family members who are gay. I've got friends who are gay. I've got journalist friends who are gay who are here in Qatar. But you don't need that to be supportive, to be an ally. So, I was thinking about all of those people yesterday. I was thinking about Colorado Springs. I was thinking all sorts of stuff. And if I have to be detained for 30 minutes, it's kind of annoying. But it's not an issue for me. And so I was glad to at least help out a little bit."
