MALAYSIA’S sporting fraternity is in mourning following the passing of former national hockey player and Olympian, Muhammad Khairy Nunis Abdullah, also known as Kevin Christopher Nunis, who died at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) earlier this evening.
The 65-year-old, affectionately known as Kevin Nunis, breathed his last at 6.46pm after battling a blood infection for several months. The news was confirmed by his son, Muhammad Karl Iskandar Nunis.
“Our beloved father returned to the mercy of Allah at HKL this evening,” he told Bernama.
The funeral rites will be held at Surau Sillaturrahim, Taman Segambut SPPK, with prayers scheduled for 8am today before the burial.
A proud son of Negeri Sembilan, the late Kevin Nunis was a central figure in the Malaysian national hockey squad during the 1980s.
He represented the country at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and left a lasting mark at the Asian Games in India (1982) and South Korea (1986). He also competed in three Southeast Asian (SEA) Games—in Singapore (1983), Jakarta (1987), and Kuala Lumpur (1989).
Following his retirement in 1989, he remained dedicated to the development of Malaysian hockey, serving as coach for state teams Terengganu and Pahang, and as assistant coach to the national junior squad in 1994.
Chairman of the National Athletes Welfare Foundation (YAKEB), Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, paid tribute to the late Olympian, calling his death “a great loss to the nation’s sporting landscape”.
“He contributed immensely to raising the country’s name and endured a long struggle with illness,” he said.
YAKEB previously reported on social media that Kevin Nunis had been hospitalised at HKL since 21 May following a deterioration in his health. - June 29, 2025
