Pakistan hockey Olympian Farooq Ahmad passes away

Staff Report

LAHORE: Farooq Ahmad Khan, a hockey Olympian who was a member of Pakistan’s gold medal-winning team at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, passed away here on Friday. He was laid to rest at a local graveyard. Farooq, who had a relatively short career of two years in international hockey, was a right-out in the national team and was also a long-distance runner. Though he was with the Pakistan team at the Mexico Olympics, as alternate of another right-out, Khalid Mahmood, Farooq did not play any match at the global event. At the domestic level, Farooq played the game for Lahore Division and Railways. Tariq Aziz who led the Pakistan team at Mexico 1968, said that Farooq was a very good player and was also an athlete of national level. “Due to his skill in long distance races he was a very fast player as a right out in hockey,” Tariq underlined. Tariq said Farooq played under his captaincy and was a disciplined player of his time who always helped his team-mates. Tariq prayed for the departed soul and condoled the demise of the player with his family. Meanwhile, Pakistan legend Samiullah Khan also condoled the passing away of Farooq, saying the deceased player besides being a good hockey player was a very pious man. “It seldom happened when two right-outs Khalid Mahmood and Farooq went with the national team abroad,” Samiullah recalled.