Image Credit: Twitter/Kiren Rijiju
Uttar Pradesh
Moscow Olympic Gold Medallist Hockey Player Ravinder Pal Singh Succumbs To COVID
|Though Singh had recovered from the virus, his condition suddenly worsened last week, and was put on a ventilator.
Former Indian hockey player Ravinder Pal Singh, who was a member of the team that won the gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, passed away on Monday, May 10 due to complications from COVID. He was 65.
He had been admitted to the Vivekananda Hospital in Lucknow in the last week of April after contracting the virus, reported India Today. Though he recovered from the virus and had been shifted to a non-COVID ward on May 6, his condition worsened the next day and he had to be put on a ventilator.
Singh was only 20 when he became an Olympic gold medalist at the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics, the last Olympic gold medal for Indian hockey, according to Sportstar.
Besides two Olympics, Singh had also represented in the Champions Trophy in Karachi (1980, 1983), Silver Jubilee 10-nation Cup in Hong Kong in 1983, 1982 World Cup in Mumbai, and 1982 Asia Cup in Karachi, among other tournaments. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter to condole the Olympian's death.
I'm deeply saddened to learn that Shri Ravinder Pal Singh ji has lost the battle to Covid19. With his passing away India loses a golden member of the hockey team that won Gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. His contribution to Indian sports will always be remembered. Om Shanti🙏 pic.twitter.com/rCE1pcaIgx
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 8, 2021
V Baskaran, captain of the 1980 Moscow Olympics hockey team, told Sportstar, "His basics were sound. He had speed, endurance and strength. He was not found wanting in any respect. He enjoyed his role as centre-half completely and he came at a time when there was a big vacuum in the centre-half position."
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