Amit Shah condoles demise of legendary hockey player Balbir Singh

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday expressed condolences over the demise of the legendary hockey player, Balbir Singh.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday expressed condolences over the demise of the legendary hockey player, Balbir Singh.

The Home Minister also said that the hockey player left an indelible imprint on the world of hockey with his stick.

"Pained to learn about the demise of Padma Shri Balbir Singh Sr Ji, a legendary hockey player, who left an indelible imprint on world hockey with his stick," Shah tweeted.

"I was fortunate to have met the lively and joyful Balbir Ji, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. My condolences to his family," he added.

The veteran hockey player had suffered a cardiac arrest on May 12 and after that, he suffered two more cardiac arrests during the course of his admission in the hospital.

"Balbir Singh passed away this morning," his grandson Kabir said in a statement on Monday.

Balbir Singh was a three-time Olympic gold-medal winning champion.

He played a key role in India's Olympic victories in London (1948), as a vice-captain in Helsinki (1952) and as the captain in Melbourne (1956).

In his illustrious playing career from 1947-1958, Balbir Sr. won 61 international caps and scored a whopping 246 goals.

He was also the manager of the 1975 World Cup-winning team.

He was also named as one of the 16 iconic Olympians by the International Olympic Committee in 2012.

( With inputs from ANI )