Farewell to thrice world taekwondo champ Sivalingam

PETALING JAYA: Taekwondo grandmaster and former National Sports Institute (NSI) psychologist V. Sivalingam has passed away at the age of 59.

The International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) grandmaster succumbed to Covid-19 at the Universiti Malaya hospital yesterday.

He also suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive nervous system disease that hampers the nerve cells in the brain and spine, which led to loss of muscle control.

“Words fall short of expressing our sorrow upon receiving news that Sivalingam had passed away today. We are deeply saddened by this news as someone so special in Malaysia taekwondo can never be forgotten. It’s truly a great loss to our nation,” the ITF Malaysia said in a statement yesterday.

“Our heartfelt condolences to his family and we will surely miss the presence of a truly lovable and kind person who has devoted his entire life to promoting ITF Taekwon-Do in Malaysia over the decades.”

Sivalingam was a triple World Taekwondo Championship gold medallist in the lightweight division.

He won in 1990 (Montreal, Canada), 1992 (Pyongyang, North Korea) and 1994 (Kuala Terengganu).

He was responsible for setting up taekwondo and yoga centres and was roped in by the NSI as a psychologist where he also introduced yoga in the institute.