Hockey Olympian and member of the 1994 World Cup-winning team Naveed Alam has passed away after losing his prolonged battle with blood cancer, his family confirmed Tuesday.

Speaking to the media, his daughter said that the Olympian had a chemotherapy session at Lahore’s Shaukat Khanum Hospital last night, after which his health deteriorated.

Doctors transferred him to the intensive-care unit but he could not survive, his daughter added.

According to his family, Naveed had been feeling unwell for quite some time after which he was taken to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital where doctors diagnosed his illness. He was in the last stage of cancer.

Following the development, Naveed had appealed to the federal and the provincial governments to take note and provide necessary aid for his treatment, which was estimated to cost Rs4 million.

Later, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had announced that the provincial government would bear all expenses of his treatment

The former sportsman was a participant in the Summer Olympics 1994. He had also coached the hockey teams of Pakistan, China and Bangladesh and also worked as Director Domestic of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

Alam’s funeral prayers will be offered tonight (Tuesday) at 10 pm at Company Bagh Sheikhupura.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary-General Asif Bajwa, Manzoor Junior, Asif Naz and Khawaja Junaid will attend the funeral prayers, said the hockey governing body in a statement.