A tragedy has occurred at the IBJJF Chicago Summer Open 2025, as a competitor suffered a medical emergency at the venue and passed away after competing at the event. Deaths stemming from grappling competition are incredibly rare and naturally questions have been raised after news broke of the incident. There should be on-site medical staff at every event, and response times must be kept to an absolute minimum in order to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance. While medical staff won’t be needed in the vast majority of cases, they can literally save lives when called upon.
The news was first announced in a post on the r/bjj subreddit and the poster claimed that the medical response sadly appeared to be “slow and uncoordinated” according to witnesses:
“There was no designated medical tent, no clearly visible rapid response team, and the staff onsite didn’t appear to be equipped with updated emergency SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) or training for this kind of life-or-death situation.”
The poster then shared a further description of when the emergency occurred:
“from what I was told from a young women who alerted the medical staff and witnessed the entire thing from the beginning, he went to sit down in the bleachers after his match, his face went green, then ghostly white, eyes rolled to the back of his head and then he collapsed.”
This should be taken as a clear signal to the IBJJF and every other tournament organizer out there, that competitor safety simply has to be of the utmost importance. It is not acceptable for anybody to cut corners when it comes to the medical staff present at an event, as the outcomes could be disastrous. The IBJJF released their official statement on the incident on August 13th and they paint a different picture of the incident:
“The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is profoundly saddened to confirm that an athlete passed away following a medical emergency at our Chicago event last Sunday. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the athlete’s family, friends, teammates, and all who were touched by his life. This is a devastating loss for the entire jiu-jitsu community.”
“The medical emergency occurred in the spectator area shortly after the athlete had completed their match. IBJJF staff, along with trained medical personnel and other qualified first responders acted immediately, utilizing all available life-saving techniques, equipment and medical protocols in an effort to assist. The athlete was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Despite continued urgent and extensive efforts by medical personnel, we were later sadly informed that the athlete had passed away.”
“The IBJJF remains committed to the safety and well-being of all participants and attendees, and we will continue working closely with medical professionals and event staff to uphold the highest standards of care at all our events.”
