Rome Olympics veteran Jhamanlal Sharma expired in the wee hours of Sunday at his home in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Jhamanlal, a well known sports administrator and coach, has been awarded highest civiliaon award Padamshri for his relentless service to uplift the game of hockey.

If anybody in India who devoted lifetime to spotting youth for the sport, the departed would head the list. As a disciplinarian, his strict adherence to age in the under 16 tournaments he conducts is well known. Many times he sent back even half of the cheating team members home on age counts.

Remembering him, former national coach Harendera Singh Said: ‘He is a players’ coach. He listens to us. Whenever a suggestion came from the players, he used to try and see its worthiness. When after the 1990 Lahore world cup, the crisis between players and the IHF erupted, he is the one who brought the much needed compromise. As long as he was in the scheme of things the Uttar Pradesh had been producing players, and then the supply line stopped without him on account of age”.