The oldest surviving Olympic gold medalist will have a field hockey match dedicated to him after celebrating his 100th birthday yesterday.

　　Feroz Khan played in the Indian team that won the gold at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.

　　He settled in Karachi, Pakistan, after partition in 1947.

　　Khan became the oldest-known living Olympic medalist after the death of American James Rockefeller - who won gold in rowing at the 1924 Paris Olympics - at the age of 102 last month.

　　"It is a matter of pride for us that we still have such a distinguished figure among us," Pakistan Hockey Federation Secretary Brigadier Musarratullah said.

　　"We have decided to celebrate his 100th birthday by dedicating the first test of the hockey series between India and Pakistan on September 24 after him."

　　Khan said that a better performance from the Asian teams in the just concluded Athens Olympics would have been a perfect birthday gift for him.

　　"It is sad that we have lost our traditional style of playing because of the European advancement in world hockey," he said.

　　Pakistan finished fifth in Athens while India had to be content with seventh place as Australia won the hockey gold for the first time.

　　"The hockey you see today it is not what we used to play. The artistry and flair is gone," he said.

　　"It is sad but the International Hockey Federation has done nothing to prevent changing of rules that have robbed the sport of its finesse and skills."

　　Born in a small village Basti Danishmandan in Jullundur, India on September 9, 1904, Khan was a contemporary of the Indian hockey great Dhyan Chand and they played together in the 1928 Olympic Games.

　　(Reuters)

　　编辑：趴趴