LAHORE, Dec 7 The first death anniversary of hockey legend M.H. Atif will quietly be observed on Tuesday as neither the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) nor any other hockey forum has plans to hold a commemoration programme in his memory.

Atif, a member of the Pakistan team, which won the first gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics, passed away on Dec 8 last year due to cancer at the age of 81.

His last assignment with the PHF was that of adviser, a post to which he was appointed by none other than the current PHF president Qasim Zia himself.

Mrs Atif, told Dawn that she would arrange a simple ceremony at home to offer prayers for the departed soul. She said she had no information if the PHF was arranging any programme to honour his memory.

Atif was born in Gujrat in 1928 and as fullback he was the member of three Olympic teams in 1956, 1960 and 1964.

Atif was one of Pakistan's iconic hockey fullbacks. He also served as the manager of the Pakistan squad that won the second and third Olympic gold medals in Mexico in 1968 and in Los Angeles in 1984. He was also a member of the Pakistan team which claimed gold medals in Asian Games from 1958 to 1966.

He served as secretary general of the PHF for 11 years and was the first Asian, to hold the coveted post of chairman of the International Hockey Federation Rule Board in 1994.

During his tenure as PHF general secretary, Pakistan won the World Cup in 1982 in Mumbai, India.

Atif also held the position of Asian Hockey Federation's general secretary for 16 years and was vice president of the organisation between 1982-2001. He was highly respected in the hockey world and was instrumental in raising the sports profile at an international level.

He was very disappointed over the decline in the standard of Pakistan which had witnessed a glorious era for decades.

It is noteworthy to point out that once sitting in the National Hockey Stadium with some close friends back in 2004, he had pledged that he could still build up the team if the PHF entrusted full control to him.

“And if I fail I am ready to pay back all the expenses incurred in the preparation of the team,” Atif had said but the then PHF management turned a deaf ear.