Hockey legend Balbir Senior remembered

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 25

Veteran and young hockey players from the city remembered legend Balbir Singh Senior (96) as he passed away early Monday morning.

His namesake Olympian Col Balbir Singh (74) who hails from the city, recalled the days when he was a coach and Balbir Singh was the manager of the Indian team.

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“When we paired as manager and coach, the Indian team won the bronze medal in the Champions Trophy in June 1982, a silver medal in the 1982 Asian Games and a silver medal in the 1982 Esanda World Hockey,” said the retired Army officer. He recalled the days when he organised a get-together of Olympians at Sansarpur village in the district in 2008 and Balbir Singh Senior had especially come to attend it.

About his senior, Col Balbir Singh says: “Balbir is to India what Sir Donald Bradman is to Australia and Fele to Brazil. A disciplinarian to the core, he believed that commitment and dedication are the foundations of success. No sportsman in my living memory has contributed as much as him to raise the sporting image of the country.”

An Arjuna-awardee, he laughed, “There was always confusion about names. There were five Balbir Singhs in hockey and four of us were Olympians. I even attempted to eliminate doubts at that time by adding Kolar as surname, there was another Olympian Balbir Singh Kolar from my native village. Interestingly, when he passed away earlier this year, someone wrote a beautiful obituary on me and I had to clarify that I am alive. Even today, my son has got a few calls from people expressing condolences.”

Olympian and Congress MLA Pargat Singh went to Chandigarh to attend the last rites. He said: “ When I was the Director of Sports, I used to meet him at least once a month and seek his guidance.”

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