"Saida was a girl with a beautiful soul": British police investigate the circumstances of the death of a kickboxer in a hijab

“Received with a life-threatening brain injury”

In the UK, Hampshire police are investigating the death of Iranian-born kickboxer Saida Aletahi. The athlete died in the hospital from serious brain injuries. She was taken to a medical institution after a duel under the auspices of the local promotion of amateur mixed martial arts Fast & Furious.

Law enforcement officers study all the circumstances of the tragedy and communicate with witnesses. Also, the closest relatives were informed about the death of Aletah.

“On Sunday, November 17th, at about one in the morning, we received a call from colleagues from the General Hospital in Southampton. They reported a woman who received a life-threatening brain injury. On the same day, the 26-year-old patient passed away, ”the Hampshire police spokesperson quoted Daily Star as saying.

The death of the athlete was a real shock for her friends and colleagues. The woman has long been engaged in kickboxing and has repeatedly taken part in various amateur competitions. At the same time, Saida gained fame due to the fact that she always went out to train and fight in hijab. The athlete was born in Iran, but later moved to England, where she began to actively engage in sports.

“She was 110% devoted to sports”

Unfortunately, the performance under the auspices of the Fast & Furious promotion ended in tragedy. In the course of one of the fights, Aletakh felt bad and lost consciousness.

“We got a call from the Central Hall in Southampton at around 8:50 p.m. The caller said that in the hall there is a mixed martial arts fighter who lost consciousness during a fight. We sent an ambulance to the place; medical personnel were already there. The patient was taken to hospital in serious condition with a threat to life, ”Mirror Online quotes the ambulance representative.

Doctors tried to do everything possible to save Aletah, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The girl died without regaining consciousness.

In Exile Gym Southampton, where Aletah has been practicing recently, she was described as a girl who was in love with sports.

“Saida was a girl with a wonderful character and a beautiful soul. She was 110% devoted to sports and covered kilometers every day in order to get to training, ”reads a post posted to Exile Gym Southampton on Facebook.

Aletah’s colleagues also said that she came to the gym several months ago.

“Saida quickly became part of the“ family ”, and we will miss her very much. The news of her death was a blow to us all. Our thoughts and prayers are now with Saida and her family. If someone wants to ask a question or feels the need for our support during this difficult time, please contact us, ”added Southampton to Exile Gym.

In turn, Fast & Furious said that they are doing everything possible so that the fighters in their competitions do not receive serious damage. They explained that in 99.9% of cases, there are no injuries.

“But this can happen, and for security reasons we try to do our best - a medical examination is carried out both before and after the battles. All participants receive full medical insurance, and paramedics and emergency doctors, as well as our team of experienced first-aid specialists, are on duty at the site. At none of our shows did we neglect the safety of athletes, and this applies equally to every fight, ”the representatives of the promotion wrote on Facebook.

Fast & Furious also expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.

“Now our thoughts are with Aletah’s family, friends and teammates. If someone needs support, please contact us or our trainers.
Thanks to our team for the highest professionalism shown that evening. They performed their duties to the utmost in order to respond to this situation. We repeat, we are ready to support each of you who need it during this mournful time, ”the promotion emphasized.

Regular tragedies

Unfortunately, such tragedies are not uncommon even in amateur martial arts, not to mention the professional level. So, recently during a sparring, Australian boxer Dwight Ritchie passed away. After hitting the body, he retreated to his corner and there he lost consciousness. Richie was only 27 years old.

And in October, the boxing community was shocked by the death of American Patrick Day. The athlete was seriously injured in a fight with compatriot Charles Conwell and fell into a coma. Despite all the efforts of the doctors, his life could not be saved.

Just a few months ago, the tragedy with the Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev also thundered. He, like his American counterpart, received serious brain damage in the ring. After the fight with Subriel Mathias, the Russian operation was performed, he was also immersed in a medical coma.

However, all efforts were in vain: July 23 Dadashev passed away. The wife of Maxim Elizabeth Apushkina intends to sue the Maryland Athletic Commission.

“After the fight stopped, the stretcher was not taken out into the ring, Maxim’s head was not covered with ice, he was forced to walk on his own, although his legs were already giving way and he was hanging in the arms of the people helping him. And in the event of such injuries, minutes decide everything. Every extra movement can cost a life, ”Apushkina said in an interview with Sport Express.