Ireland U20 rugby team observe minute’s silence for Greig Oliver

The Ireland team wear black armbands and observe a minute's silence in memory of the late Munster Rugby elite performance officer Greig Oliver, father of U20 squad member Jack Oliver, and the recent tragedy on the Greek island of Ios involving two pupils from St Michael's College in Dublin, Max Wall and Andrew O'Donnell, before the U20 Rugby World Cup match between Fiji and Ireland at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Photo: Nic Bothma/Sportsfile

The Ireland U20 rugby team observed a minute’s silence before their final pool match in South Africa on Tuesday following the tragic death of former Munster rugby elite performance officer and Scotland international Greig Oliver, father of their teammate, Jack, in a freak mid-air paraglider collision over Cape Town.

They are also wearing black armbands in memory of St Michael’s College pupils Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall who died in separate incidents while on holiday in Ios over the weekend.

Several investigations are now underway into Mr Oliver’s death in Cape Town on Monday. Mr Oliver, 58, was a passenger on a tandem paraglider flight from Signal Hill, near Cape Town, when his paraglider was in collision with another tandem paraglider above Sea Point Promenade, a popular tourist area.

One of the tandem paragliders landed safely and both the pilot and passenger escaped injury. But tragically, Mr Oliver came down in choppy waters about 200 to 300 meters off-shore and appears to have drowned. His pilot escaped serious injury.

Greig Oliver was a passenger on a tandem paraglider flight from Signal Hill, near Cape Town, when his paraglider was in collision with another tandem paraglider. Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre was alerted following the mid-air collision involving two paragliders, and its NSRI units at Bakoven and Table Bay were activated immediately following reports of people in the water.

NSRI rescue craft and rescue swimmers, the South Africa Police Services, paramedics and fire and rescue units all rushed to the scene. The NSRI said when they arrived, they found the adult male pilot of the tandem paraglider that had deployed the reserve parachute safely on the shore. He was treated for minor injuries.

However his passenger, Mr Oliver, was spotted on rocks in the water off-shore. NSRI rescue swimmers and paramedics managed to reach him and free him from his paragliding gear, before recovering him onto rocks where CPR efforts began.

But tragically, those efforts were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. His body was recovered to the shoreline and taken into the care of Police and Government Health Forensic Pathology Services, where arrangements were made for a post-mortem examination.

A moment silence is observed ahead of kick in memory of Greig Oliver.

It's followed by a rousing rendition of Ireland's Call from this young Ireland squad who have experienced such tragedy over the last few days.#WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/29pq1T7mrC

— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) July 4, 2023

South African Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) said it is gathering evidence and witness reports and has handed the matter to the Accident and Incident Investigations Division (AIID) for further investigation.

SAHPA spokesperson, Louis Stanford, said paragliding is “simultaneously a challenging and rewarding sport, however it does have inherent risks”.

“The sport is well-regulated and safety is always a primary consideration. As this matter has been referred for further investigation, we cannot speculate on this accident,” he said.

“We are grateful to the fellow pilots and members of the public who raced to help the pilot and his passenger and the NSRI for completing the rescue in challenging conditions. We also express our sorrow and condolences to the friends and family of the deceased.” 

It is understood that Mr Oliver’s death is the first tandem fatality in the area in over two decades. Mr Oliver represented Scotland in three tests as a scrum-half between 1987 and 1991, while he was also a former Ireland U20 coach.

He and his wife, Fiona, were on holiday in South Africa when the incident occurred. They were visiting Cape Town on a sightseeing trip while their son, Jack, represents Ireland at the World Rugby U20 Championship being played in and around Cape Town.