Balbir Singh
Description
Balbir Singh was born on 10th October 1924 at Haripur Khalsa in Punjab. He had his education in
Dev Samaj High School MOga, DM College Moga, Sikh National College Lahore and Khalsa College at
Amritsar. He is a role-model hockey player of India as his contribution in this respect is maximum. He was
a member of three Olympic Gold Medal winning teams, in London (1948), Helsinki (1952) (Vice Captain),
and Melbourne (1956) (Captain) His Olympic record for most goals scored by an individual in an Olympic
men’s hockey final remains unbeaten. Singh set this record when he scored five goals in India’s 6-1 victory
over the Netherlands in the gold medal game of the 1952 Olympic Games. A living legend, mostly known
as S. Balbir Singh Senior, to distinguish him from other Indian hockey players of the same name, scored
9 of the 13 goals in 1956 Olympics at Melbourne. He was the Captain of the Hockey Team in the Asian
Games in 1958. Later on he became Manager and guided many a young sportsmen willing to earn a name
in this sport. He was the Manager when India won Gold at the 1962 International Hockey Tournament
in Ahmedabad; Silver at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok; Bronze at the 1971 World Hockey Cup in
Barcelona; Bronze at the 1982 World Tournament in Amsterdam; and Silver at the 1982 Asian Games in
Delhi. He was the manager-cum-coach-cum-Chief selector for the team that won the Gold at the Third
World Cup Tournament in Kualalumpur in 1972, thus helping India win a Gold Medal in Hockey after a
Gap of 11 years. He also managed the team at the Esanda World Cup in Melbourne in 1982. Presently, he is
living with his children at Chandigarh and at Calgary at Canada.
