SINGAPORE — Singapore national sepak takraw player Muhammad Azreen Sairudin, who was involved in a motorcycle accident yesterday (June 7), remains in intensive care at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) at press time tonight, after undergoing a second surgery today.

The accident, which occurred on the Seletar Expressway, claimed the life of his 21-year-old brother, who was riding pillion. His funeral was held today.

“Sepak takraw athelete Muhammad Azreen was involved in an unfortunate road traffic accident and underwent emergency surgery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (yesterday),” said Singapore’s co-chefs de mission, Tan Eng Liang and Nicholas Fang, in a statement issued by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) today.

“He had a second surgery (today) and is now resting in the surgical intensive-care unit. He is being monitored closely by his specialists for his progress and recovery.”

Azreen was to have played in the men’s team group match against Indonesia at the Singapore EXPO today, which Singapore lost 3-0. But team-mate Magrib Ibrahim told TODAY that the players could not perform as they were affected by Azreen’s condition.

A Reuters report said Sam Tan, Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office), tried to lift the team’s spirits by giving them a pep talk on the sidelines of the match.

“We went to visit him … We could not focus during the match against Indonesia and Thailand, as we were still emotional,” said Magrib, 27. “We were supposed to perform against those teams, but we couldn’t. From what I know, he is in a serious condition now and will possibly never play again.”

Captain Farhan Amran said: “We will still carry on despite what has happened, because we have a national duty to carry out.”

Their coach Padzli Othman was also a despondent figure as he tried to come about the whole situation all together and shared the same sentiments as his players.

Said the 49-year-old: “The players were down and I can see the pressure and their thoughts. They were affected and were really down.”

The tragedy is the latest to overshadow the SEA Games. Today, a minute’s silence was observed at the various events as a mark of respect for the victims of the earthquake that hit Mount Kinabalu in East Malaysia. Eight Singaporeans lost their lives, while two remain missing.