KULIM – A Penang Sukma rugby player died after collapsing and losing consciousness during a team training session at the football field of Battalion 2, General Operations Force (GOF), here yesterday.
Muhammad Adam Putra Syahril, 21, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the emergency unit of Hospital Kulim after being transported there by ambulance.
Kulim district deputy police chief Deputy Superintendent Tengku Mohd Faisal Tengku Yeng said the victim’s coach informed his 49-year-old mother at about 5.30pm that her son had suddenly collapsed during rugby training at the location.
According to him, witnesses at the scene immediately rushed to assist the player before emergency medical help was called.
“Witnesses managed to provide initial assistance to the victim, but there was no response and they called for an ambulance. However, Ministry of Health (MOH) medical personnel confirmed that the young man had already died upon arrival at the hospital.”
“Investigations found that the man had no prior history of illness, and his body was sent to the Forensic Department of Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB) in Alor Setar for a post-mortem examination,” he said in a statement today.
He said the victim had been transported by a Ministry of Health ambulance to Hospital Kulim for treatment after the incident.
Meanwhile, Tengku Mohd Faisal added that Muhammad Adam was a student at a higher education institution in Arau, Perlis, and was undergoing industrial training in Kulim at the time.
He also confirmed that the deceased represented Penang in the Sukma rugby competition.
“The case has been classified as a sudden death,” he said.
Authorities have classified the case as sudden death while awaiting further findings from investigations and the post-mortem examination. – May 24, 2026