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MOHAMMED SHAHIDMohammed Shahid, widely considered to be one of India’s best ever hockey players, has died at the age of 56. Renowned for his superb dribbling skills, Shahid was part of the Indian men’s team that won the gold medal at the Olympic Games Moscow 1980, scoring four goals in six matches, including one in the final against Spain. He also played for India at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.STEFAN HENZEGerman canoeist Stefan Henze has died aged 35, following a tragic car accident in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Henze competed in canoe slalom at the Olympic Games Athens 2004, winning a silver medal alongside Marcus Becker in the men’s C2 event. He had been working at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 as coach of Germany’s canoe slalom team.VĚRA ČÁSLAVSKÁCzech gymnast Věra Čáslavská, who won 11 Olympic medals in the 1960s, has died aged 74. Representing Czechoslovakia, Čáslavská was one of the stars of the Olympic Games Tokyo 1964 and the Olympic Games Mexico City 1968, winning seven individual gold medals, including successive all-around titles. She later served as an IOC Member, and was President of the Czech Olympic Committee from 1990 to 1996.GRIGORE OBREJAGrigore Obreja, a bronze medallist in the canoe sprint C2 500m at the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996, with Gheorghe Andriev, has died at the age of 48. The Romanian also took part in the Olympic Games Seoul 1988. He was 33-time national champion of Romania and became world champion in Mexico in 1994. In 1997, he moved to France, where he won some 40 national medals as a coach.OH SE-JONGSouth Korean short-track speed skater Oh Se-jong, who competed at the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Winter Games, has died aged 33. Oh was part of the Republic of Korea’s men’s 5,000m relay team that won gold at the Olympic Winter Games Turin 2006. The team had also won gold in the World Championships and the Asian Games in 2003.JOÃO HAVELANGEFormer athlete and administrator João Havelange, who served as an IOC Member between 1963 and 2011, has passed away at the age of 100. Havelange represented Brazil in swimming at the Olympic Games Berlin 1936 and in water polo at the Olympic Games Helsinki 1952, before an administrative career that included a 24-year tenure as President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).American boxing legend Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. As Cassius Clay, Ali travelled to the Olympic Games Rome 1960 to compete in the light heavyweight division. Despite being only 18 he won all four of his fights easily, and defeated three-time European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to win gold. He turned professional later that year and in 1964 he became heavyweight champion of the world for the first time, beating Sonny Liston. After being stripped of his title in 1967, when he refused to be drafted into the US army, Ali returned to the ring in 1970, and regained his title in 1974 by knocking out George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle”, before defeating Joe Frazier a year later in the “Thrilla in Manila”. In recognition of his achievements, Ali was chosen to light the flame during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996.“He was an athlete who fought for peace and tolerance – he was a true Olympian,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.MUHAMMAD ALILEGENDARY AMERICAN BOXER AND ACTIVIST WHO WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN ROME IN 1960OLYMPIC REVIEW 81OBITUARIES