UKRAINE footballer Oleksandr Shcherbinin, who was in Penang to take part in the Asia Pacific Masters Games 2018, passed away this morning of a suspected heart attack.
The 57-year-old collapsed in his hotel room at 6.55am today and efforts to revive him failed at the Penang Hospital.
APMG 2018 president Chong Eng, who had earlier in the morning given away the prizes to the some of the table tennis winners, said she was saddened by the news.
“We convey our condolences to his family. The APMG and the state government are doing our best to facilitate the transporting of his body home,” Chong Eng said after meeting two Ukrainian team members, including roommate Vadym, at the City Stadium this afternoon.
“It’s unfortunate this happened, but that’s the unpredictability of life. It reminds us not to take life for granted and to appreciate it every day and do what we want to do in life.
‘We’re aware that we’re organising the competition for seniors. But he was 57 and his team members were shocked because he was very fit. In fact, he was the one who got the Ukraine players together to come here. And they have taken part in ten World Masters Games, like in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.”
A press statement from the organisers said Shcherbinin had played as a goalkeeper for the Kharkiv Masters football team in the men’s 55+ category at the APMG 2018.
As the post-mortem was being carried out, the organisers had managed to inform Shcherbinin’s family.
APMG chief executive officer Linda Geh Guat Yeow was at the hospital to assist with arrangements to send his body back by contacting the Ukraine Embassy and agents.
“It is with deep sadness that we lose a member of the APMG family. May his soul rest in peace,” said Geh.
“I was told that he had complained of chest pains to two of his teammates at the hotel. An ambulance rushed him to hospital after receiving an emergency call. Medical personnel did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on him for an hour but could not revive him.”
Shcherbinin leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
Players and officials observed a one-minute silence as a tribute to the late Shcherbinin prior to the kickoff of the APMG football matches today.
Story by K.H. Ong
Photos courtesy of APMG 2018