Man hospitalized in life-threatening condition after incident at Calgary pub holding eating contest

Calgary paramedics took a man to hospital in life-threatening condition on Saturday after an incident at the Ship and Anchor pub.

Paramedics were called to the bar, located in the 500 block of 17 Avenue S.W., at 6 p.m. for reports of a man in medical distress.

Medics were told there was an Oktoberfest-themed eating contest going on, but say they were not able to determine if that is what led to the medical incident.

Attendees said it included eating bratwurst on a bun, and said the man taken to hospital had been a participant.

The Ship and Anchor closed its doors for the night after paramedics left.

In a statement shared to social media, the bar said a customer suffered a serious medical event which was traumatizing for everyone involved.

"As a result, we have decided to shut the pub for the remainder of the evening."

We are closed this evening pic.twitter.com/Ly8aCvAvma

— Ship & Anchor Pub (@Ship_and_Anchor) September 24, 2023

The bar reopened on Sunday morning. 

A manager who spoke with CTV News says they're supporting both staff and patrons who were impacted by the incident.

He confirmed the man is a regular at the bar, and said staff are waiting to hear an update on his condition from his family.

In a statement sent to CTV News, Nicola Trolez, a member of the management group, said:

"His status is uncertain to us as we have not had an update from the hospital or his family. As long as that is case, we do not think it appropriate to comment on the situation, however, it is becoming a concern to us that there is much unfounded speculation as to what occurred and that this has the potential to be upsetting to those closest to the incident.

"Accordingly, we have decided to pass on information which has been reported to us in an effort to limit the speculation, even though we have not had medical verification from official sources. This has been gathered from staff and customers on site as well as those with some direct knowledge of the situation:

"When the incident occurred, two individuals with medical experience quickly stepped in and performed CPR. The paramedics arrived quickly, resuscitated the man and took him to ICU. They indicated to our "manager that there was no indication of choking and suspected a heart related event. As to his current condition, we know only that he remains in hospital."