Hockey legend Hamidi.

Apropos the article 'The legend of Balbir Singh' (Eos, June 7) paying tribute to Indian hockey legend Balbir Singh senior, who passed away in Chandigarh on May 25, aged 95. The article carries a photograph of Balbir standing on top of the podium to receive the hockey gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Next to him, is another hockey legend, Pakistan's Abdul Hamid, popularly known as Hamidi, who led the country to glory in both the Olympic and Asian games and brought similar laurels for Pakistan.

Pakistan's team started giving a tough time to India which was ruling the game from 1928 when they became the world champions in the Amsterdam Olympics.

Hamidi was a member of Pakistan's hockey team in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics respectively and captain for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where Pakistan won a silver medal. It was Pakistan's first ever medal in any Olympic discipline.

As an outstanding inside right, Hamidi was a prolific goal scorer and his tally of 16 Olympic goals remained Pakistan's record till 2008, when penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas...

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