Olympic Medallist Saleem Nazim passes away

LAHORE: Former Pakistani hockey star Rao Saleem Nazim, who represented the national team from 1974-76, passed away yesterday afternoon in his hometown of Faisalabad.

Nazim, a right half, was a key member of Pakistan’s hockey squad during the mid-1970s, securing medals in all three major tournaments of his era. He bagged gold at the 1974 Asian Games, silver at the 1975 Hockey World Cup, and bronze at the 1976 Olympics.

Born in Faisalabad, a city known for its hockey legacy, Nazim first made his mark by representing Sargodha division in the National Championships before joining National Bank, one of Pakistan’s leading domestic teams. He retired as the Senior Vice President of the bank after a distinguished career.

His international career included a tour of East Africa with the Young Pakistan team in 1974, and his final appearance came at the 1976 Quaid-e-Azam Centenary Tournament in Lahore. Even after retiring from professional play, Nazim remained deeply involved in the sport.

He coached National Bank to its first national championship victory and was part of the coaching panel for both junior and senior national teams, including the squad that won Pakistan’s last Olympic hockey medal -a bronze- at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Nazim also served as the national selector and acted as the technical official in international tournaments such as the Champions Trophy and Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. As an administrator, Nazim held key positions, including Joint Secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and Secretary of the Punjab Hockey Association.

Concerned about the decline of Pakistan hockey, he became a vocal critic of the failures and corruption within the PHF, actively engaging with former players, journalists, and hockey enthusiasts to push for reforms. In recent years, Nazim founded and ran the M.H. Atif Hockey Academy in Faisalabad, where he mentored young players and worked to revive the sport at the grassroots level.