Sepak takraw legend Abdul Jalil Aziz passed away at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) at about 6.30am this morning due to excessive internal bleeding of the bowels.

The late Abdul Jalil, 66, was admitted to the HSB on Nov 14 due to complications in the kidney and liver.

His wife Nahariah Man, 65, said her husband’s condition had been critical since last week.

“When my husband passed away, my son and daughter were by his side since they have been taking care of him since his admission. His remains will be buried at the Seberang Terus Muslim cemetery after the Zohor prayers,” she said when met at her residence in Taman Sri Ampangan, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Alor Setar today.

She said former players and officials from the National Athletes Welfare Foundation (Yakeb) had visited him and offered some assistance.

Abdul Jalil, a father of four children who had retired from competitive sepak takraw in 1981, worked as a senior technician at the Kedah Irrigation and Drainage Department before his retirement.

Nahariah said her late husband had always lamented the poor performances of the national sepaktakraw teams and their inability to win gold medals, unlike during his playing days.

Abdul Jalil, from Negri Sembilan, started representing the country in 1970 and has won gold medals in the 1971 SEAP Games in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore in 1973, Bangkok in 1975 and Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in 1977.

He was also part of the team that won the gold medal in the 1980 Asian Sepaktakraw Tournament in Kuala Lumpur and went on to receive the MAYC Malaysia Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein’s Challenge Trophy in 1976 and Negri Sembilan Sportsman of the Year in 1975.

He received the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) from the Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Negri Sembilan in 1975 and Pingat Pangkuan Negara (PPN) from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 2004.

- Bernama