Sports

Wednesday November 4, 2009

Tragic news for national team as coach’s father dies

By S. RAMAGURU

KUALA LUMPUR: Tragedy has struck national hockey coach Tai Beng Hai. His father passed away yesterday at the Taiping General Hospital, a victim of a hit-and-run accident.

Chin Seng, 77, was riding a bicycle near his home last Sunday when he was knocked down by a motorcycle and was admitted to the hospital with head injuries.

Just a day earlier, Beng Hai had left for Invercargill, New Zealand, with the national team for a World Cup qualifying tournament, which begins on Saturday.

The family has informed Beng Hai of his father’s death and he has already taken a flight out of New Zealand to attend the funeral, which will be held tomorrow.

Beng Hai will fly back to Invercargill after the funeral and he hopes to be back with the team when they play their first match in the qualifiers against Austria.

In the meantime, Nor Saiful Zaini will take change of the team. Malaysia are involved in a tournament offering one berth to the World Cup Finals in New Delhi next year. Besides Austria, their other opponents are Wales, New Zealand, Scotland and China.

Beng Hai’s sister Susan said that his brother should be back home today.

“My father was in the ICU but failed to recovery after a surgery last night. He died at 2.47 am. He was a victim of a hit-and-run motorcyclist,” she said at her home in Taiping yesterday.

The funeral tomorrow will begin at noon from 29, Lorong Tun Salleh, Assam Kumbang, Taiping. The body will be taken to the Crestwest Crematorium.

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