Mohammad Riaz Nabi, a hockey player, was born on June 5, 1972 at Chennai in Tamil Nadu. He completed his graduation in Arts from Madras University. He is employed as the Deputy Manager in Indian Airlines. His father Abdul Mohammad Nabi is a renowned international umpire. He has been an integral member of the Indian Airlines for a decade. He is a product of the S.A.I. Sports Hostel, Chennai and has played almost 200 International matches. He made his international debut in 1992 in a match against Korea. He was twice selected in the Indian hockey squad for the World Cup 1994 and 1998. Both the time he was in the list of goal scorers. Mohammad Riaz Nabi also took part in the Olympics held in 1996 and 2000. During the Indo-Pak series of 1999 he was selected the Vice- Captain but in the same year, during the Australian Tour, he became the Captain of the Indian team. He played in all the major tournaments organised at the national and international levels. He was presented the Arjuna Award in 1998.