New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tribute to legendary Indian hockey player Mohammed Shahid, who passed away at the age of 56 after battling severe liver and kidney ailments.
“In the untimely & unfortunate demise of Mohammed Shahid, India has lost a talented sportsman who played with immense passion & vigour,” PM Modi wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
“We tried our level best to save Mohammed Shahid but sadly, neither our help nor prayers were enough to save him. Tributes to him. RIP,” he added.
Shahid, a member of the Indian team that won a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, had been admitted to the Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon after being airlifted from Varanasi due to worsening health condition in the last week of June.
The hockey legend’s health condition had deteriorated further as he slipped into coma late Tuesday night and was put on the ventilator as last ditch effort.
Acclaimed for his dribbling skills, the ex-striker is considered as one of India’s great hockey players. He was also a part of the national team that won silver in the Delhi Asiad in 1982, and bronze in Seoul four years later.
He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1981 and the Padma Shri in 1986.
Last month, the Sports Ministry had announced a medical grant of Rs 10 lakh for him and the Indian Railways, his employers, had also declared that they would pay for his medical expenses. (ANI)