Olympic gold medallist Balbir Singh Sr forgets nothing about hockey, be it the past or the present. The 94-year-old hockey legend, who recently celebrated 70 years of the 1948 London Olympics win in the finals over hosts England, is bullish about defending champion India’s chances of returning with the gold in the Asian Games.
“I remember everything about that final in 1948. It was independent India’s first Olympic gold in hockey. There were no Britishers and a lot of players had also migrated to Pakistan,” said Singh, who was the chief guest at the inauguration of the JSW's Inspire Institute of Sports in Vijayanagara, Karnataka.
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He was full of hope when it came to the current Indian men’s team which is not just defending its gold but also seeking a direct entry into Olympics with it. “I like the present coach Harendra Singh a lot. He is good. In any case, I am in favour of Indians coaching the team,” he said. Balbir Singh Sr has been the coach, selector and manager of many Indian teams in the past, including the 1972 bronze medal-winning team at Munich Olympics.
Apart from the ageing champion, also present on the occasion were a host of former Olympians and medallists like air rifle champion and 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, wrestler and 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, multiple Grand Slam champion and Davis Cup non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi and 2000 Sydney Olympics air rifle finalist Anjali Bhagwat.
Balbir Singh Sr accepted that India’s midfield star Sardar Singh was not at his peak, as he was a few years ago in terms of speed and agility. “What Sardar was a few years ago, obviously he is not now. It does make some difference but yes I hope he can play a key role in India’s progress in the Games.”