The problem with these claims, experts say, is that there’s no evidence conclusively connecting COVID-19 vaccination to any sudden deaths among athletes. The risk-benefit ratio here is heavily weighted towards benefit. The Washington Post has delved into the timeline of how this rumored connection between the vaccines and athlete deaths spread, starting after 29-year-old Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen went into cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match in June 2021.

The idea that athletes are keeling over after getting the shot was given new life late last month when similar claims were put forth by US Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, and former NBA great John Stockton, as reported by the New York Times. Reuters debunked that one back in December, and FIFA itself, responding to a request from TCTMD, said it “is not aware of any scientifically validated link between COVID-19 vaccination and deaths in footballers.” One such claim still popping up on social media- see here on Twitter -is that 108 FIFA-registered players or coaches died over a 6-month period last year after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Lists of athletes who have died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine have been circulating on social media, and the issue has been brought up recently by a US senator and a former basketball star, but there’s absolutely nothing to the purported link, according to sports cardiologists interviewed by TCTMD.

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