Balbir Singh Sr. - Best Sikh Hockey player of All times

Balbir Singh is a retired field hockey player from India, who was a member of three OlympicLondon (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne (1956). gold medal winning teams, in Reputed as a centre-forward, He is often called Balbir Singh Senior to distinguish him from other Indian hockey players named Balbir Singh.He coached the Indian team for the 1971 Men's Hockey World Cup in which India won the bronze medal. He was the manager of the Indian team for the 1975 Men's Hockey World Cup which India won.

Achievements: 

Balbir, the winning captain
at Melbourne Olympics

1) Guinness World record for most goals scored in an Olympic final is in the hands of India's Balbir Singh 'Senior', who scored five goals in Helsinki in1952 when India defeated Holland 6 -1 in Olympics final.

 

2) Balbir Singh was chosen as the top Sikh Hockey Player of all time by a panel of judges in April 2006 in New Delhi. 

 

3)  Balbir holds the unique honour of being the flag-bearer to the Indian contingent in two successive Olympics in 1952 and 1956.

 

 

India's Flag bearer,Balbir Singh,
at Melbourne Olympics

4) Balbir Singh and Gurdev Singh of India feature in a hockey stamp issued by Dominican Republic in 1958. 

 

5) Balbir was honoured with Padma Shri in 1957.