Eya Guezguez died while training with an Olympic 49er FX skiff like the ones shown above. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Tunisian Olympic sailor Eya Guezguez died on Sunday when her boat capsized while training with her twin sister Sarra. She was 17 years old.
The International Olympic Committee announced her death on Monday. Sarra survived the incident. The IOC cited strong winds as the reason the boat capsized.
“I am shocked by the news of the death of seafarer Eya Guezguez,” said IOC President Thomas Bach in a statement. “She was an inspiring talent and a role model for her generation of athletes.”
“Guezguez’s participation in Tokyo 2020 alongside her twin sister Sarra will continue to motivate girls everywhere. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the Olympic community in Tunisia.”
According to The Guardian, Tunisian Olympic Committee President Mehrez Boussayan told a local radio station that the accident happened off the coast of the country’s capital, Tunis, in the Mediterranean Sea. The BBC reports that Boussayan said the Guezguez coach was in a speedboat next to them when the accident happened. According to the report, he helped Sarra detach himself from the rigging after the boat capsized and later found Eva in the water. He attempted to revive her with CPR. According to the report, she was later pronounced dead of drowning at a local hospital.
“May Allah have mercy on the deceased, grant her eternal rest in paradise and grant patience and consolation to her family and relatives and to the entire sporting family,” the committee said in a statement, translated by The Guardian.
The Guezguez sisters competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where they placed 21st in the 49er FX event. The 49er FX is a skiff class that requires a crew of two. According to the BBC, Guezguez was the youngest Tunisian entrant at the Tokyo Games.