Naved Alam, Pakistan’s one of most recognized hockey World Cup winners, died on Tuesday in Lahore, just days after being diagnosed with blood cancer. He was 47 years old at the time. Alam, a fiery personality who was a vital player of Pakistan’s World Cup-winning team in 1994, was diagnosed with blood cancer only a few days ago after visiting a hospital after feeling not well.
“It is with sadness that we announce that Naved Alam has passed away today after a battle with cancer,” his family announced. Naved, an effective fullback, had only begun chemotherapy in Lahore on Monday when his condition began to deteriorate.
The Sindh government had written to the hospital assuring that they will cover all of his treatment costs, but the Pakistan Hockey Federation was chastised by former players for failing to support the Olympian who competed in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Col Mudassar Asghar, a former secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), said it was unfortunate that after being diagnosed with cancer, Naved needed financial and moral support from the government, the PHF, and other hockey stakeholders despite having served Pakistan and winning a World Cup.
Naved also managed Pakistan’s hockey squad at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Naved was recruited as director of development and domestic by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) in 2016, however, the two fell out over several problems. For a period, the fullback also served as a coach for Bangladesh.
Asif Bajwa, the PHF secretary, offered his sympathies, saying that he, Naved, and another Olympian, Danish Kaleem, were good friends while playing for the national team for ten years. “It is very sad today as we have lost a stalwart in our hockey family,” he said.
Naved’s demise was also mourned by the Pakistan Cricket Board, which sent out a condolence message.
