COVID takes away four sports personalities within a week
Four sports personalities — Ibrahim Hamid, Zulki Hamid, Zulsky Passela and Shiyam Sideek — passed this week due to complications caused by COVID-19.
Ibrahim Hamid, a former Zahira College and Police SC rugby captain and match commissioner of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), passed away on Thursday evening in Colombo. Ibrahim played for Zahira and later led Police SC in 1971. He was attached to several committees at Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union. He was also a well renowned coach, judge and official of shooting sports and was actively involved with officiating activities of National Shooting Sports Federation. He was well known as ‘Tanker’ for his own style of play as a rugby player. He was 78 at the time of his demise.
Hours after Ibrahim’s death, his son Zulki was pronounced dead during the early hours of Friday.
A former cricketer of Royal College, Zulki was 48 at the time of his death. He played both cricket and rugby for Royal. He was a wicketkeeper and a good batsman for Royal, who was also the vice captain of the 1992 college team. He was also a member of the Royal-Thomian Big Match Joint Organising Committee.
On Tuesday Zulsky Passela, the immediate past president of Billiards and Snooker Association of Sri Lanka (BSASL) passed away after contracting COVID-19. He served as the president of the BSASL for two terms since 2016 and stepped down in June this year. He was also known as a keen player of billiards and snooker and was an ardent supporter of cue sports, that produced the country’s first world champion, M.J.M. Lafir. Passela was also an active member of Colombo Malay Cricket Club.
Last week former Isipathana College, CR&FC, Kandy SC and Sri Lanka rugby player, national rugby selector and council member, Shiyam Sideek passed away due to COVID-19. Sideek represented the Sri Lanka Youth rugby team from 1979 to 1982, while representing Isipathana. After leaving school he represented CR&FC until 1991 and crossed over to Kandy SC in 1992. The prominent forward, who played as a hooker, was an regular choice of Sri Lanka 15s. After retiring as a player, he became committee member of Sri Lanka Rugby and also was the representative of Kandy SC till the time of his death.