OLDS — A GoFundMe page has raised more than $31,000 for an Olds College coach who passed away.
As of Oct. 24, $31,270 had been raised on that page for Gokarn Ramdhani, head coach of the Olds College badminton team.
The purpose of the fund is to enable him to be returned to his native Guyana to be laid to rest.
Ramdhani passed away on Oct. 8 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Olds.
He came to the community when his daughter Priyanna joined the Olds College badminton team in 2019.
His son, Narayan, is currently in his third year of eligibility at The King's University in Edmonton.
Ramdhani was named the team's head coach last year after serving as its assistant coach during the 2019-20 season.
Ramdhani had served as president of the Guyana Badminton Association as well as a council member of the Guyana Olympic Association and Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation.
He was also vice-president of communications for the Badminton Pan American Confederation and second vice-president of the Confederation Central American & Caribbean Badminton.
In addition, Ramdhani was the owner and head coach of Yonex Badminton Club.
Harrison Corolis, who provides athletics communications for the Olds College Broncos athletic program, says Ramdhani was a much loved and respected member of the department.
“Gokarn was an incredibly talented and dedicated coach, friend and father,” Corrolis wrote in an email. “He always had a giant smile and would give a friendly hello to everyone he came into contact with.”
A post on the Olds College athletics website also paid tribute to Ramdhani.
“His radiant personality and immense passion for his family, the Broncos, and the sport of badminton will be deeply missed by everyone,” it said.
“Loved by his student-athletes, Gokarn will be remembered as a great friend and mentor on and off of the court.
“A technical mastermind in the badminton world, what he contributed on the court was just as valuable as the positivity and love he showed off of it.”
A memorial for Ramdhani was set up outside the Broncos Athletics office in the Community Learning Camps (CLC) on Oct. 12 so people could pay their respects.
As of late last week, a new head coach had not been named, according to Corolis.
