![\\"\\"](\\" news_theme/dist/assets/icons/logo.c2320657.svg\\"/) ## AAP FACTCHECK * TRUSTED![\\"\\"](\\" * ACCURATE![\\"\\"](\\" * IMPARTIAL![\\"\\"](\\" DONATE SUBSCRIBE * * * * * Fact Checks * Check the Facts * Who We Are * AAP FactCheck Team * Neutrality and Code of Practice * Organisational Structure & Funding * How We Work * Our Process * Verdicts * Request a Correction * Contact * Suggest a Fact Check ![\\"Pele](\\" content/uploads/2023/01/28120610/cdc494d2-3f75-44a2-a157-01a2418beae3.jpg?v=1674867973\\"/) Pelé died in December following a battle with cancer. # Pelé’s death linked to vaccine in ‘ridiculous’ COVID claim William Summers January 28, 2023 ###### WHAT WAS CLAIMED More than 1500 athletes have suffered cardiac arrest since COVID vaccinations began, compared to a previous average of 29 per year. ###### OUR VERDICT False. The claim is based on a list that attributes deaths to cardiac arrest even when another cause is known, such as cancer or car accidents. Social media users are sharing a claim that 1598 athletes suffered cardiac arrests between 2021 and 2022, which purportedly represents a huge increase from previous years. Many of the posts suggest COVID-19 vaccines are to blame. But the claim is false. The 1598 figure is based on a deeply flawed list of deaths and serious injuries. The list includes numerous people known to have died from causes other than cardiac arrests, including soccer legend Pelé, who died in December aged 81 after battling colon cancer; Russian athletes Ivan Kurenbin and Tatiana Igushina, who reportedly died in a speeding car; an amateur runner who fell off a cliff; and a 13-year-old boy hit by a train in Scotland. The rolling list of supposed cardiac arrests was created by a vaccine-sceptic and climate-change denial website called Good Sciencing, run by an anonymous team of “investigators, news editors, journalists and truth seekers”. The website’s claim gained much attention after the figure was cited by Peter McCullough, a US cardiologist who has repeatedly promoted misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines (such as here, here, here, here and here). ![\\"Social](\\" content/uploads/2023/01/28120604/b9a77d27-11c1-482a-a016-a6620e399303.jpg?v=1674867968\\"/) The data used in the list of athlete deaths is “ridiculous”, according to experts. In a letter to the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, sent in November and published in December 2022, Dr McCullough said: “From January 2021 to the time of writing, 1598 athletes suffered cardiac arrest, 1101 of which with deadly outcome.” Dr McCullough’s letter compared the 1598 figure to a 2006 study which reported 1101 deaths related to heart conditions in athletes under the age of 35 between 1966 and 2004. Dr McCullough has claimed his comparison of the two figures proves a “sharp rise in athlete deaths”. It comes as Dr McCullough prepares for a controversial Australian speaking tour hosted by the United Australia Party. Many social media users have repeated Dr McCullough’s comparison to suggest there has been a big spike in athlete cardiac arrests (such as here, here, here, here and here). But multiple cardiology experts have pointed out the false comparison between the 2006 research and the list of supposed “athlete cardiac arrests” published on Good Sciencing (such as here, here and here). This flawed list includes many people with a passing relationship to sport or exercise. None of the deaths and injuries appear to have a proven link to COVID vaccines, and in some cases, there is no evidence the victim even received a COVID jab. ![\\"Vaccination](\\" content/uploads/2023/01/28120615/a0510bc6-88b6-4e4b-a4e5-13eb6ea0413b.jpg?v=1674867978\\"/) While posts suggest the deaths were vaccine-related, some occurred before the rollout even began. For example, the list of names includes Sunshine Coast amateur rugby league player Dale Best, who died on February 20, 2021 after collapsing during a match. Yet Australia’s COVID vaccination program did not begin until February 22, 2021. Associate Professor André La Gerche, a sports cardiologist at Australia’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, told AAP FactCheck the list was a “hodgepodge” of names “of all different ages that may or may not be athletes and may or may not have died of cardiac causes”. “There is not a single sensible component about that statistic. I don’t think that the data collection is done in any reputable way,” Dr La Gerche said in a phone interview. Dr La Gerche said it was almost impossible to gather robust statistics about athletes and cardiac arrests because there is no standard definition of an athlete. ![\\"Craig](\\" content/uploads/2023/01/28120620/934cc49d-7d4c-4dd2-9ac5-79fcabd0605a.jpg?v=1674867983\\"/) Dr McCullough is to tour the country with the UAP and its national director Craig Kelly (pictured) “I think his [Dr McCullough’s] premise is actually really valid that we should have age-specific discussions about the pros and cons of the risk of the infection versus the risk of vaccination,” Dr La Gerche said. “But the data he’s used is ridiculous.” The British Heart Foundation (BHF) states on its website there is no evidence sportspeople are at risk of cardiac arrest following the vaccine “despite some misleading reports on social media”. “Research has showed that having previously had a coronavirus infection is much more likely than the COVID-19 vaccine to lead to heart problems – although these cardiac arrests may not be linked to coronavirus infection either,” the BHF says. Similarly, sports cardiologists in the US told factcheck.org they have seen no increase in athletes suffering cardiac arrest or sudden death since COVID vaccinations became available. ## The Verdict The claim that more than 1500 athletes have suffered cardiac arrest since COVID vaccinations began compared to a previous average of 29 per year is false. The list of purported “athlete cardiac arrests”, published on a vaccine- sceptic website, includes people who died from causes completely unrelated to cardiac arrests, such as cancer, car crashes and suicides. The website provides no evidence that the listed deaths are casually linked to COVID vaccines, and in some cases, the deaths occurred before the vaccine was available. False — The claim is inaccurate. * AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. All information, text and images included on the AAP Websites is for personal use only and may not be re-written, copied, re-sold or re-distributed, framed, linked, shared onto social media or otherwise used whether for compensation of any kind or not, unless you have the prior written permission of AAP. For more information, please refer to our standard terms and conditions. CHECK THE FACTS Media Literacy Campaign ![](\\" content/uploads/2021/10/21144045/output2.jpg\\") ![](\\" content/uploads/2021/10/21143934/output.jpg\\") Stay in Touch ### Latest Fact Checks ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/10/02143208/79774b13-e3f7-48bf- bc2d-f7d9eedc02b9.png?v=1727843532\\") ## Song claimed to celebrate pager explosions is from the 1990s ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/06/05160011/0b73b70c7273385e710b6a5648b3c80aa3c0dd4adb9a3c977d97f53423095f7f.jpg?v=1717567213\\") ## Word game and brainteaser scams sweeping Facebook ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/10/01084202/9109c656-1ecc-4b80-a687-e1b46ec57f2d.jpg?v=1727736124\\") ## Claim about Maori\'s customary marine title powers misleads ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/09/30151206/682e9750-1224-49eb- afd9-76f5b65b4c0d.jpg?v=1727673128\\") ## No, nations aren\'t ceding sovereignty by signing UN\'s Pact for the Future ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/09/30101006/66a7ed2c-136c-4ece-b69b-d7c6905843d1.jpg?v=1727655008\\") ## Claim drugs with zero toxicity wouldn\'t become medication misses the mark ### Latest News ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/10/02121203/f7f3c25c-1d9e-4e3f-a48d-cfbf3a97eee7.jpg?v=1727835126\\") ## Swans veteran Parker requests trade to North Melbourne ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/10/02153602/d4c261a2-d936-4c26-8d44-440a126ecb20.jpg?v=1727847364\\") ## Expert rejects supermarket land banking concerns ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/10/02104002/4cd8e2cd-d2ef-4156-826f-2aa133b42a3c.jpg?v=1727829605\\") ## Australians departing Lebanon as conflict escalates ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/10/02070202/cbc87961-d233-4e86-80de-555808eeb5a9.jpg?v=1727816525\\") ## Kennedy backs \'legend\' Sermanni as Matildas interim ![](\\" content/uploads/2024/10/01163002/3a5fe816-7215-49dd- ba2e-5623ccfbe8ab.jpg?v=1727764205\\") ## Treated as \'animals\': Lebanese anger as Israel invades ## AAP FactCheck ![](\\" content/uploads/2021/10/21151443/carousel-factcheck.jpg\\"/) * Information you can trust * Written by trained, experienced journalists using authoritative sources * Accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) Get the Facts AAP FactCheck provides factual, authoritative information Australians can rely on. Accredited with the Poynter Institute\'s International Fact-Checking Network and adhering to the highest industry standards, our experienced team works to minimise the impact of misinformation. ## AAP Photos ![](\\" content/uploads/2021/10/21151549/carousel-aapphotos.jpg\\"/) * Award-winning Australian Photography * Editorial or Commercial use * Subscriptions or one-off licences Browse Photos Image buyers from all industries rely on AAP Photos. A digital treasure trove of content depicting Australian life, our fully-searchable database contains millions of images from around the country and around the world. ## AAPNews ![](\\" content/uploads/2021/10/21151210/carousel-aapnews3.jpg\\"/) * News delivered to your inbox * Trusted, reliable and accurate * Corporate and individual packages available Subscribe AAPNews delivers newswire content direct to the public. Choose from a number of subscription models to not only gain access to high-quality fact-based news on your desktop or mobile device, but also to show your support for Australia\'s only not-for-profit newswire. ## Newsroom ![](\\" content/uploads/2021/10/21150935/carousel-newsroom2.jpg\\"/) * The wire – up to the minute news at your fingertips * Feeds delivered to your CMS * Agenda – AAP’s planning and events tool Log In Get the news feed your organisation needs, with AAP offering extensive coverage of news, courts, politics, sports, finance and the arts. Take advantage of AAP’s partner content to get the international news that matters to your business, with news feeds delivered via multiple channels including API and FTP. prev next ##### Donate Now ###### WHY AAP is Australia\'s only independent newswire service, delivering stories and images around the country and around the world every day. By supporting AAP with your contribution you are backing a team of dedicated, objective journalists to continue this work. Thank you. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. * $10 * $100 * $500 $ * Once * Monthly * Annually DONATE ![](\\" news_theme/dist/assets/images/donatehero.2754b93d.jpg\\"/) * * * * * Legal and Privacy * Terms of Use CONTACT US AAP * Our Company * Our Board * Our Team * Corporate Governance Acknowledgement of Country In the spirit of reconciliation Australian Associated Press acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. ![](\\" news_theme/dist/assets/images/aap-factcheck-ifcn-256.30cd597a.png\\"/) © 2024 Australian Associated Press. All rights reserved. ![\\"Close\\"](\\"/wp-content/themes/aap-theme/src/assets/icons/x-mark-black- icon.svg\\") ![\\"Close\\"](\\"/wp-content/themes/aap-theme/src/assets/icons/x-mark-black- icon.svg\\")
More than 1500 athletes have suffered cardiac arrest since COVID vaccinations began compared to a previous average of 29 per year