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Olympian Avtar Singh Sohal bereaved after wife’s death
Kenya-born Avtar Singh Sohal represented his country in four consecutive Olympic Games as a hockey player
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Thu, 02, Apr 2026
- 00:24 EDT
- 10
Ripudaman Kaur Sohal / Courtesy photo
Ripudaman Kaur Sohal, 83, wife of noted hockey Olympian Avtar Singh Sohal, died at a hospital in Mohali. She had been admitted for a few days ahead of a scheduled low back surgery.
The surgery was to be performed Wednesday morning.
Kenya-born Avtar Singh Sohal represented his country in four consecutive Olympic Games as a hockey player and captained the team in three of them. He later served as coach for Kenya’s Olympic hockey team and went on to represent the sport as an official of the International Hockey Federation.
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Ripudaman Kaur Sohal was originally from Chandigarh. The family also has an apartment in Zirakpur, near Chandigarh.
The couple frequently visited India and performed seva at the historic Gurdwara Reetha Sahib over the years.
The Sikh Union Club in Nairobi, one of the oldest clubs of expatriate Indians and Sikhs, is set to celebrate its centennial year in May. Avtar Singh Sohal has been among its longest-serving members.
“After the centennial celebrations in May, we both were planning to take retirement from the Sikh Union Club and hockey and live a peaceful life together. But she preferred to retire early and leave me alone,” Sohal said.
She will be cremated near Gurdwara Reetha Sahib.
Avtar Singh Sohal has continued to contribute to the sport, leading efforts to replace the Astroturf at the Sikh Union Club with a new blue surface, scheduled for inauguration in May. Teams from England and Malaysia, along with hosts Kenya, are expected to participate.
A book on Sohal’s life and contributions is also scheduled for release during the centennial celebrations.
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