Euro 2012 Superfan Dies as Result of Sleep Deprivation

A Chinese fan made the attempt to watch every Euro Championship game along with carry on his daily routine of working a full time job. Unfortunately his efforts came at great cost, as he died resulting from sleep deprivation on June 19.

After Italy defeated Ireland in a 2-0 victory, Xiaoshan returned home from watching the game with friends. The 26 year old took a shower and fell asleep around 5am. Xiaoshan would not wake from his final slumber. Doctors attribute the fan’s ill fate to the effects of tobacco, alcohol, and sleep deprivation, which devastated his immune system. The news came as a shock to Xiaoshan’s friends and family, who reported the young man had led a relatively healthy lifestyle and even played for his university’s football team a couple years prior.

This however is not the first instance of Chinese fans sacrificing their health for the game they love. During both recent World Cup competitions in Germany and South Africa, China saw a surge in individuals being admitted to hospitals with chronic exhaustion.

Changsa, Xiaoshan’s home province in southern China, is six hours from Warsaw and five hours ahead of Ukraine. Matches for Chinese fans were broadcast between 1am and 3am. The young man would stay up all night to watch the matches and then go to work the next day, returning home to repeat the process his friends reported.

Xiaoshan was rooting for England and France to make it to the finals.