Olympics bronze: Faridkot administration honours Rupinder Pal Singh’s kin; local players relive memories

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 6

A day after Rupinder Pal Singh brought laurel to the country by clinching the Olympics bronze, his family was honoured by the district administration at a hockey ground here today.

Dragflicker Was denied award in 2014

• Rupinder Pal Singh was denied Rs26 lakh award money and honour by the Punjab Government despite his team clinching the gold at the Asian Games in 2014 and ending the 16-year medal drought
• Rupinder was an employee in a bank in Tamil Nadu at that time. Both Tamil Nadu and Punjab put the ball in each other’s court to honour him. Ultimately, he didn’t figure in any state’s list of awardees

In a programme jointly organised by the Sports Department and the district administration, Faridkot Deputy Commissioner Vimal Setia honoured Rupinder’s father Harinder Singh and his two elder brothers. During the event, many sportspersons of the area relived their memories of Rupinder to boost the morale of young players in the district.

Rupinder’s friends recalled how in November 2014 the dragflicker was denied Rs 26 lakh award money and honour by the State Sports Department despite his team’s exhilarating win against Pakistan. He was the vice-captain of the team, which had clinched the hockey gold at the Asian Games in 2014 in a nerve-wracking shoot-out against Pakistan to end its 16-year gold medal drought in the tournament that time.

Rupinder had scored maximum six goals against Pakistan in 2014, but he was not among the 28 players who were honoured by Punjab.

The Sports Department had said Rupinder was an employee in a bank in Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Nadu Government should honour him. Utlimately, he didn’t figure in any state’s list of awardees.

The six-plus-footer dragflicker, the youngest in the family, took up hockey at the age of 11. His father was running a small sports goods shop in Faridkot. Rupinder made his international debut in May 2010 in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. He hit the headlines by being the top scorer in the tournament.