A 42-year-old Indian expatriate from Kerala died after collapsing while playing shuttle badminton in Dubai, according to a report by Manorama Online.
The deceased was identified as Anwar Sadiq, a native of South Puthiyathala in Chittilakkad, Thrissur district.
The Malayalam news outlet reported that Sadiq had recently arrived in Dubai in connection with his daughter’s wedding. He was playing badminton with relatives and friends when he suddenly collapsed.
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The report said that he suffered a heart attack. His body is currently being kept at a hospital mortuary.
The incident comes just days after another tragedy involving a Dubai resident during a sporting activity. Mohammed Safwan Shanu, a 38-year-old Dubai resident and well-known cricketer in the Nawayath community, collapsed while playing a cricket match. Friends said he had appeared healthy and was a regular participant in weekend games. Hundreds attended his funeral in Dubai, while his parents travelled from India to bid farewell to their son.
While doctors stress that every medical case is different and caution against linking any individual incident to a specific cause without medical findings, the two cases have renewed discussions around hidden heart conditions, sudden cardiac arrest and the health risks associated with intense physical activity.
Dr Shipra Srivastava, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Aster Hospital, Al Qusais, said it is a misconception that heart disease affects only older individuals. “There are many clinical cardiac conditions which can be present in young patients. Individuals can also be born with heart defects which may manifest at a later age,” she said.
Dr Srivastava mentioned that some of the conditions that may remain undiagnosed include hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), abnormalities in the heart’s electrical conduction system and coronary artery disease.
“Most of the casualties during heavy and unacclimatised sports happen due to pre-existing and undiagnosed conditions. Hence, to say that sports is the cause of fatality is not always true,” she added.
