Legendary hockey player Charanjit Singh, who captained the Olympics team that won the gold in 1964 at Tokyo, passed away at Una on Thursday owing to age-related complications. Charanjit Singh was born at Mairi in Amb subdivision of Una in Himachal Pradesh (then part of undivided Punjab) on February 3, 1931.He was an alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Charanjit Singh was also a part of the team that won the silver medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960 besides the silver in the 1962 Asian Games.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the death of the legendary player. “Got the sad news of the passing away of Charanjit Singh, a former hockey player from Una and the captain of the Indian hockey team in the 1964 Olympic Games. A Padma Shri and Arjuna awardee, Singh will always inspire the young generation. May the Almighty grant the departed soul eternal peace and give strength to the bereaved family,” Thakur said. The cremation will take place late on Thursday afternoon.