Father of four slumps and dies while playing table tennis in Port Harcourt
Spectators were left to witness the shocking death of a tennis player in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
NAN reports that the tennis player, Timothy Abiara, was in action when he suffered a suspected heart failure.
Abiara, 45, was playing against another opponent at the State Stadium Complex in Ilorin when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Spectators had thought he was reacting to a lost point when he held his chest and started shouting, reports say.
The father of four was rushed to the State General Hospital where he was confirmed dead.
The Director of Sports in the state, Tunde Kazeem, described Abiara’s death as a sad and unfortunate situation.
Kazeem urged other athletes to carry out regular medical check-ups.
The State Commissioner for Sports, Kale Ayo, commiserated with the family of the deceased and described the incident as a pathetic one.
Abiara was formerly a fashion designer and had represented Kwara state at both the 2011 and 2012 editions of the National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt and Lagos respectively.
