Olympic Bobsledder Who Killed Himself Likely Had C.T.E.

The brother of U.S. Olympic bobsledder Pavle Jovanovic, who killed himself, argues the Olympics did not do enough to warn and safeguard his brother against traumatic brain injuries, according to a complaint filed Wednesday.

The lawsuit claims that Jovanovic had brain problems from being jostled around in the bobsled for so long that he became depressed and eventually committed suicide in 2020, when he was 43 years old.

Olympic Bobsledder Who Killed Himself Likely Had C.T.E.

His brain showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, an injury typically seen in high-impact athletes like football players and boxers, according to an autopsy performed shortly after his death.

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Jovanovic is the First Athlete in a Sliding Sport to be Diagnosed with CTE.

The 139-page complaint blames CTE for Jovanovic’s death, alleging the symptoms of it became too much for him to handle.

According to the allegation, “he was competing against an opponent who does not lose.”

According to the complaint, Jovanovic acquired Parkinson’s-like symptoms in 2013 and turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism after suffering brain trauma.

The lawsuit accuses the Olympic Committee of covering up the seriousness of sled head injuries sustained by members of the U.S. bobsled team for decades.

The lawsuit claims that the Olympics was aware of the dangers posed by bobsledding to Jovanovic (called “Pauly” in the complaint) and other athletes, but did nothing to prevent them or warn them.

“Defendants failed to warn and protect Pauly and the other athletes who have taken their own lives as a result of injuries sustained from repeated head trauma, despite knowledge of decades of medical science detailing the development of traumatic brain injuries in athletes who are exposed to brain trauma and the use of’sled head’ within the sport of bobsledding. Instead, they concealed from him the risks of repetitive brain trauma,” states the complaint.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee(USOPC), who is also included in the case, is responsible for ensuring the safety of athletes, something they did not do for Jovanovic, the complaint contends.

Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that the International Olympic Committee put financial concerns above of the riders by highlighting the pace and distributing recap clips of all the rides.

Acute and chronic risks linked with head hits are downplayed in these efforts to enhance viewing and exploit the perils of the sport, according to the lawsuit. It’s ingrained in the system to take advantage of athletes and put profit ahead of their well-being.

Although tragic, Jovanovic’s suicide is not unique among Olympic bobsledders. Since 2013, there have been a total of seven suicides and five suicide attempts. More tragically, two American bobsledders, including 2010 gold medalist Steven Holcomb, have died of drug overdoses.

Since 2002, when she tested positive for a banned drug, Jovanovic has been barred from the Olympics. Jovanovic said he had no idea the supplement he was taking included the illegal substance.

An article from Team USA at the time of his death indicated that the USOPC said they were concentrating on the mental health of their athletes.

The United States Olympic Planning Committee’s efforts centre on “creating a culture that fosters proactively seeking and delivering mental health help for everyone,” as stated in the article.

Jovanovic, a native of New Jersey, spent almost a decade as one of the world’s best “brakemen” on the bobsled team. There are 19 different bobsled events in which he has won a medal at the World Cup level.

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Defendants in the lawsuit include the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.

Patrick D’Arcy of the law firm D’Arcy Johnson Day is representing Nicholas Jovanovic, Pavle’s brother. To yet, he has not responded to any of our comment requests.