Singapore: An investigation into the death of a 14-year-old Indian-origin student-athlete at the Singapore Sports School has revealed a safety lapse. The investigation found that his badminton coach failed to check on his well-being before leaving the training area, as reported by PTI. According to a report by Channel News Asia on Saturday, the coach has been issued a notice of termination. Pranav Madhaik, a member of the school's badminton academy who aspired to become an Olympic champion, fell ill after a 400-meter fitness time trial on October 5.
Pranav was subsequently transported to the National University Hospital and, unfortunately, he passed away on Wednesday, October 11. In a press statement issued on Saturday, the Singapore Sports School provided a detailed timeline of the events leading up to the boy's demise and shared the results of the investigation.
Following his completion of the time trial on October 5, around 6:26 p.m., Pranav informed the badminton coach that he was feeling unwell.
Time trials and conditioning sessions are a regular part of student-athletes’ training plans, according to the school.
The coach advised Pranav to rest, as he had previously reported feeling unwell but had recuperated after some rest.
Pranav rested by the starting point, while the coach examined time-trial data on his phone. Following this, he left the track to brief other student-athletes on competition-related matters, unaware that Pranav was still resting at the same location. The coach left the school premises after the briefing. The school noted that the coach should have ensured Pranav's well-being by checking on him before leaving the track.
Furthermore, the coach failed to follow the school's safety protocols as he did not account for all his student-athletes before dismissing them from training.
"The Singapore Sports School takes this matter seriously. The coach has been served a notice of dismissal," it said.
"The school is also reviewing and strengthening all its safety protocols, and emphasised to coaches and staff the importance of adhering to them." While Pranav was resting, he interacted with two other groups of student-athletes that walked by.
Several individuals approached Pranav and according to their accounts, they did not observe anything unusual with him at the time.
The last group interacted with Pranav at around 6:35 p.m. About five minutes later, a track and field coach who happened to be passing by noticed Pranav by the track and approached him to inquire about his condition.
The coach requested a student-athlete to fetch water for Pranav. Upon returning with water, the student-athlete made an additional trip to bring cold water as per Pranav's request.
The track and field coach then realized that Pranav was having difficulty getting up, even with assistance from other student-athletes. At 6:45 p.m., the coach alerted the school's boarding staff for assistance.
An ambulance was summoned at around 6:50 p.m. and the school's boarding staff contacted Pranav's parents about three minutes later.
The ambulance arrived at roughly 7:02 p.m. and transported Pranav to the National University Hospital at around 7:19 p.m. The badminton coach, who had returned after initially leaving the school premises, accompanied Pranav.
Pranav was admitted to the hospital and received medical care but regrettably passed away on October 11. The school stated that the cause of death was cardiac arrest with a congenital malformation of coronary vessels as the underlying factor.
The school also mentioned that it met with Pranav's parents on Friday evening and shared its investigative findings with them.
"The school extends our deepest condolences to the family of Pranav, and is supporting the family in their time of grief," the press release said.
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