Pakistan hockey team’s former captain and Olympian Khalid Mahmood has passed away at the age of 84 after a prolonged illness. Pakistan’s golden era of hockey has lost another iconic figure in the form of its greatest.
Khalid Mahmood’s son said that prayers for his father who had passed away will be performed today in Faisalabad.
Khalid Mahmood was born on December 28, 1941 in Jhelum and was a right-out for the national hockey team and a member of Pakistan’s great teams that brought home major games for the country at the Olympics and Asian Games.
Khalid Mahmood competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics for Pakistan, and won a silver medal. He was later also part of Pakistan’s team at the 1966 Asian Games, where the national team again won a silver medal.
The 1968 Mexico Olympics proved to be a memorable milestone in Khalid Mahmood’s career, where Pakistan delivered an outstanding performance to win the Olympic gold medal in hockey, and Khalid Mahmood was part of the victorious team.
Khalid Mahmood was also a member of the national team which won the gold in the Asian Games held in Bangkok in 1970.
Khalid Mahmood served Pakistan hockey not only as a player but also later in the administrative field. He served as the secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation and also carried out the responsibilities of manager of the national hockey team.
Khalid Mahmood was also the captain of Pakistan’s World Cup-winning team in 1971, which is why he is counted among those personalities in the history of national hockey who represented the country both as a player and as a captain.
Pakistan Hockey Federation President Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani expressed deep sorrow and grief over the death of Khalid Mahmood, saying that his services for the development and promotion of national hockey will always be remembered with appreciation and respect.
Former Olympians and personalities associated with hockey and sports circles have also expressed deep sorrow over Khalid Mahmood’s death. His passing is being seen as the end of another shining chapter of the great players of Pakistan hockey.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also expressed deep sorrow and grief over the death of former hockey captain and Olympic gold medallist Khalid Mahmood and paid tribute to the deceased for his services to the national sport.
Khalid Mahmood’s life reminds us of that glorious era of Pakistan hockey when the national team was considered unbeatable at the global level and Pakistan’s flag was raised high at the Olympics, Asian Games and World Cup.