Ajman: A 43-year-old Indian expat from Kerala died after collapsing following a badminton session in Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to reports by Gulf News and Kerala daily Manorama Online.

Anwar Sadiq, a native of Thrissur district, had been living in the UAE for about 15 years. He worked as a procurement manager in Sharjah and lived in Ajman with his wife and two children.

The reports said Sadiq was playing badminton with friends on Thursday,June 17, when he experienced pain in his left arm and stepped away from the court. After resting briefly, he decided to leave for home but collapsed inside his car in the parking area.

Friends and fellow players rushed to help and alerted emergency services. However, he could not be revived. Community volunteers later assisted in repatriating his body to Kerala, where he was laid to rest.

His death came days after Mohammed Safwan Shanu, a 38-year-old Indian expatriate, reportedly died after collapsing during a cricket match in Dubai.

While the circumstances surrounding the two incidents have prompted discussion about hidden cardiac conditions, medical specialists caution against drawing conclusions without clinical findings.

Speaking to Gulf News, Dr Shipra Srivastava, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Aster Hospital, Al Qusais, said several heart-related conditions can remain undiagnosed for years, including hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), abnormalities in the heart’s electrical conduction system and coronary artery disease.

She said fatalities associated with strenuous or unaccustomed physical activity are often linked to pre-existing medical conditions that may not have been previously detected, rather than the activity itself.

Doctors advise people who regularly participate in sports or intense exercise to undergo periodic health screenings and seek medical attention if they experience warning signs such as chest discomfort, breathlessness, dizziness or unexplained pain during physical activity.