Ashraf Tai recovering ‘slowly’

Grandmaster still under observation in ICU, says secretary.

KARACHI: Grandmaster Ashraf Tai is recovering ‘slowly’ with doctors keeping him under observation at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a local hospital in Karachi, said his secretary Farooq Palla.

Tai, a Pride of Performance winner, was rushed to the hospital on March 30 after collapsing during a practice session. He was expected to be moved to the general ward but his condition is yet to become stable and he will remain in intensive care, added Palla.

“Tai is a diabetic and the stress during practice pushed him over the edge,” Palla told The Express Tribune. “His kidneys have been affected but we’re hoping that he’s taken out of the ICU soon. So far, he’s recovered slowly.

“He can recognise people but for the most part he remains unconscious.”

Tai, whose claim to fame was his win over Malaysia’s Stanley Michael in the Afro-Asia Martial Arts Championship in 1978, recently trained Arbash Khan who clinched a gold medal in the professional category of the World Muay Thai Championship in Thailand.

The former professional kick-boxer also runs a karate institute in Karachi where he is said to have trained almost 750,000 students in 25 years.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2013.