Living Legend Balbir Singh gets Life Time Award from leading TV
Triple Olympian and living legend Balbir Singh, 93, was honoured with Life Time Achievement Award by the jury of the CNN News18 Indian of the Year Award.
Balbir Singh Dosanjh, affectionately called Balbir Sr, richly deserved the adulation, as his sporting achievements are unmatched and helped Indian continue its hockey’s golden era into the Independent India.
Balbir anchored all the Olympic Golds India won after Independence, even leading India in the 1956 at Melbourne.
Balbir dedicated his feat to his team mates.
Well known Olympians Vasudevan Baskaran, Zafar Iqbal, Rajinder Singh Sr, present captain Sardar Singh were among the sporting star present on the occasion when the legend was honoured amidst galaxy of Indian’s elite at Taj Hotel, Delhi.
Last year Hockey India honoured Balbir Singh with the Lifetime Achievement Award when it introduced the Hockey India Annual Awards. The award carried a trophy and Rs.30 lacs.
On the same occasion, hockey stole another show with father-son duo of Paes.
Leander Paes, who won 18 grand slams tennis titles, and is on the verge of making world record of playing his continuous seventh Olympics at Rio, was declared Special Achiever.
Leander Paes dedicated his awards and the feats to his father Vace Paes, who is also Olympic Bronze Medallist, a contemporary of Ajit Pal Singh.
The entire 1980 Olympics gold winning hockey team was there, and were honoured.