The Singapore Sports School (SSP) has shared a timeline of events which happened prior to a student's death on Oct. 11.
14-year-old Pranav Madhaik, who was part of the badminton academy at the SSP, passed away on Oct. 11, days after participating in a fitness test at the school.
After telling his badminton coach that he was unwell, Pranav was told to rest near the starting point of the fitness test. The coach eventually left the school premises without checking on Pranav.
The coach has since been dismissed for not following the school's safety protocols, as he did not account for all students before dismissing them from training.
What happened
On Oct. 5, Pranav completed a 400m fitness time trial at around 6:26pm. Time trials and conditioning sessions are a regular part of students' training plans.
After that, the teen reported feeling unwell to his coach. The coach told him to rest as Pranav had previously reported being unwell but recovered after resting.
As Pranav rested at the side of the starting point, the coach attended to the time-trial data on his phone before leaving the track to brief other students on competition matters.
He did not realise that Pranav was still resting at the same location.
Once the briefing ended, the coach then left the school premises.
While resting, Pranav interacted with two other groups of student athletes that walked by.
According to those who approached him, they did not notice anything unusual with Pranav at the time.
The last group interacted with Pranav at around 6:35pm.
Coach returned to accompany Pranav to the hospital
At around 6:40pm, a Track and Field coach noticed Pranav at the side of the track and approached to enquire about his condition.
The coach then asked a student to get water for Pranav, and when the student returned, he made another trip to get cold water at Pranav's request.
At 6:45pm, the Track and Field coach activated the school's boarding staff to assist as he assessed that Pranav had difficulty getting up even with the help of other students.
An ambulance was called at 6:50pm and the boarding staff called Pranav's parents at 6:53pm.
The ambulance arrived at 7:02pm and conveyed Pranav to National University Hospital (NUH) at 7:19pm.
The badminton coach returned to the school to accompany Pranav to the hospital.
The teen was warded and given medical care.
He passed away on Oct. 11, 2023, from a cardiac arrest with antecedent cause of congenital malformation of coronary vessels — a heart attack, predisposed by abnormal heart arteries present since conception.
Coach should have checked on Pranav before leaving
According to SSP's investigations, the badminton coach should have checked on Pranav to ensure his well-being before leaving the track.
He also did not account for all his students before dismissing them from training, which was not in accordance with the school's safety protocols.
Said SSP:
"The Singapore Sports School takes this matter seriously. The coach has been served a notice of dismissal. The School is also reviewing and strengthening all its safety protocols and emphasised to coaches and staff the importance of adhering to them."
In addition, SSP met with Pranav's parents on the evening of Oct. 13 and shared the investigation findings with them. They have extended their "deepest condolences to the family of Pranav, and are supporting the family in their time of grief."
Top photos from Singapore Sports School & Raj Verma
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