Former hockey star Naveed Alam passes away after battle with cancer

Noted Olympian and a member of Pakistan’s winning team in the 1994 Hockey World Cup, Naveed Alam, passed away after a battle with cancer on Tuesday, his family said. He was 47.

Alam, who was recently diagnosed with blood cancer, underwent chemotherapy in Lahore yesterday, after which his condition deteriorated. He was immediately moved to a hospital where he passed away.

Four days ago, former secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), retired Col Mudassar Asghar, had urged the government and the PHF to help out Alam, who had been diagnosed with blood cancer recently.

“Naveed was a member of Pakistan’s 1994 World Cup winning team; he was a fighter and fine full-back. At this stage, Naveed needs financial and moral help from the government and the PHF and from other hockey stakeholders as anyone can face these kinds of hardship in life,” former Olympian Mudassar had said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board also expressed grief on Alam’s demise.

Alam had also served as Pakistan’s hockey team manager at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Pakistan had finished eighth at the 2008 Olympics after which he remained caught up in a legal battle over the PHF elections in which Qasim Zia and Asif Bajwa were elected as president and secretary, respectively.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) had also appointed Alam as director development and domestic in 2016.