Hockey legend Mohammad Shahid passes away, PM Modi pays tribute on Twitter

Hockey legend Mohammed Shahid succumbed to kidney failure at a Gurgaon hospital on 20 July. The 56-year-old was flown to Gurgaon after he was first admitted to a hospital in Varanasi on 29 June after he complained of a severe stomach pain.

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.

Shahid was a part of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The sportsperson, who was born on 14 April 1960, made his international hockey debut at the age of 17 when he played a match against France at the Junior World Cup in 1979.

Shahid was famous for his speed and for his ability to dribble the ball like a wizard. It was this style of play which gained him fans across the country during the 1980s and helped revive interest in hockey.

Shahid, who is a Padma Shri and a 1981 Arjuna Awardee, is survived by his wife Parveen and his twin children Mohammad Saif and Heena Shahid.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to express his condolences.