Olympian Ajit Pal Singh bereaved as international athlete wife passes away

Chandigarh, May 20 (IANS) The captain of the 1975 Hockey World Cup winning Indian team and Padma Shri Ajit Pal Singh on Saturday was bereaved as his wife and international basketball player Kiran Ajit Pal Singh passed away.

Kiran Pal, 69, died in New Delhi after a brief illness. She is survived by her husband and two sons. The last rites of Kiran Ajit Pal Singh will be performed in New Delhi on Sunday.

Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer expressed grief her demise, saying that it was a big loss to the sports world.

While Ajit Pal Singh captained India in the World Cup and Olympic Games in Hockey, his wife represented the country in basketball.

They were one of the few select pairs in the world of sports who played for India.

Kiran Ajit Pal Singh known as Kiran Grewal in basketball was born in Lalton Kalan in Ludhiana. Ajit Pal Singh hails from Sansarpur, a village known as the mecca of hockey. The couple were living in New Delhi for a long time.