Balwant Singh (volleyball)
Balwant Singh (1945 – 14 November 2010), popularly known as Ballu,[1] was an Indian volleyball player, considered a star of the India men's national volleyball team.[2] His son Narender is a professional volleyball player who plays for the Indian volleyball Team. Kaul village panchayat also organised Balwant Singh Memorial tournament after his death in the village.
Biography
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Balwant Singh was born in 1945 in the Kaul village of Haryana state's Kaithal district.He belonged to Ror Community.[3]
Sporting career
[edit | edit source]Singh was a tall, ungainly youth. His height was 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) with correspondingly big hands and feet.[citation needed] He was from a modest background[citation needed] and joined the Border Security Force (BSF) in Jalandhar, Punjab, which had a reputation for producing quality volleyball players at the time.[4]
In the mid-1960s and into the 1970s, he was responsible for helping Punjab achieve national success,[5] and he was awarded the country's top sporting honor, the Arjuna Award,[6] in volleyball in 1972 for his excellent sportsmanship and contribution to the national team.[citation needed] Singh played for India in Asian Games of 1970, 1974, and 1978.[6] He also played test matches for India in 1970, 1978 and 1980.[citation needed]
The first National Volleyball Championship in which Singh took part was that of 1965, and he continued to play in the Nationals till 1988.[citation needed] Between 1968 and 1981, Punjab won National Championships 10 times largely due to the performance of Singh.[citation needed] He participated in the All India Police Games from 1966 to 1990 representing Punjab Police and BSF.[citation needed]
Death and legacy
[edit | edit source]Singh ran a volleyball academy in Kaul, and a stadium was named after him.[citation needed] He died in November 2010.[6]
References
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