Balbir Sr admitted again to hospital following ill health

Chandigarh, June 26

Three-time Olympic gold medal winning hockey legend Balbir Singh Senior was again admitted to a hospital here following ill health but his condition is stable, his family said on Wednesday.

The 94-year-old has been at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here since Monday, his maternal grandson Kabir told PTI.

Before coming to PGIMER, he was at a private hospital at Mohali for a week.

In January, Balbir Sr was discharged from PGIMER after spending 108 days in the hospital, where he took treatment for bronchial pneumonia.

Once again, it is the same complication which he suffered earlier, Kabir said.

“His condition is stable,” he added.

One of the country’s tallest sportspersons, Balbir Sr became the only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across the modern Olympic history.

His world record for most goals scored by an individual in the men’s hockey final in an Olympic Games still remains unbeaten. He had scored five goals in India’s 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal match of the 1952 Helsinki Games.

He was also the manager of India’s World Cup-winning team in 1975. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1957.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has released the assistance amount of Rs 5 lakh for the treatment of Balbir Senior.

The cheque was Wednesday handed over by the Director Sports, Punjab and Additional Principal Secretary of the Chief Minister Amrit Kaur Gill to Kabir.

Gill said that she went to enquire after the health of Balbir Sr on the directions of the chief minister. Apart from handing over the cheque to the family, she also assured them of every possible assistance on behalf of the chief minister. — PTI