KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — The national women’s hockey head coach Dharmaraj Kanniah’s participation in the upcoming Asian Games is in doubt as he has been admitted in hospital with a stomach complaint.
He told Malay Mail today that he felt unwell on July 30 upon returning from Brisbane, Australia, where the team had undergone a training stint in preparation for the games.
“I got a fever. When I ate my stomach bloated and I got the shivers, followed by sweats,” said Dharmaraj when contacted in the hospital.
“They suspected dengue but then it was ruled out. Then for the bloating they thought it was food poisoning. We’re not sure what’s happening and I’m a bit worried,” said the 1992 Olympian.
Dharmaraj had complained of a stomach upset when met a few days ago at the Bukit Jalil hockey stadium.
He took over as head coach of the national team in 2016 and the Tigress have seen a marked improvement, reaching their first World League Semifinals in 2017, but lost in the group stages.
The team is aiming for a podium finish at the Asian Games from Aug 18 to Sept 2. During their stint in Brisbane, they played five friendlies — drawing two and winning three.
It will be a big blow to the team if Darmaraj is unable to lead them at the upcoming games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.
“I’ll have to stay in the hospital for some time now as they do their checkups to figure out what’s going on,” Dharmaraj told Malay Mail.
“For now I’m just focusing on getting better.”
