The Form Four student who collapsed during the National-Level Fully Residential School (SBP) Rugby 7s Tournament here yesterday died from internal bleeding caused by a torn psoas muscle (that runs from the lower spine to the upper thigh), police said.
Ipoh police chief Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said the post-mortem conducted by the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital found that the injury led to exsanguination (massive blood loss) from the right hip muscle, Bernama reported.
He said the victim, aged 16 and from Johor, collapsed suddenly at about 10.30am while he was about to enter the field for the second half of the match.
“Preliminary interviews with the accompanying teacher revealed that the victim showed no signs of illness or fatigue during the first half of the game.
“The medical officer on duty at the scene immediately administered first aid after finding the victim suffering from muscle cramps and suspected seizures.
“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was also performed after his pulse was found to be weak,” Abang Zainal said in a statement today.
The victim was taken to hospital for further treatment but was pronounced dead at 11.18am.
Following the student’s death, the education ministry decided to cancel the tournament. It would now be held from Jan 28-31 next year.
Education minister Fadhlina Sidek, in expressing her sympathies to the family, said all emergency preparedness measures and safety protocols had been taken during the tournament, describing the incident as “unforeseen”.
“That is why the decision to cancel the matches is important. We want to stand in solidarity and offer our support to the student’s family,” she said after attending a yasin recital and tahlil prayers for the victim, Fauzan Sulaiman, 16, at Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman here today.
