Olympics hockey gold medallist Hardayal Singh passes away at age 90

Former hockey player and Olympic gold medallist Hardayal Singh passed away at the age of 90 on August 17 in Dehradun. Singh was part of the Indian team that had won the gold medal in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. He was an inside forward for the Indian team which defeated Pakistan in the finals to win the gold medal.

Before his stint in the Olympics, Singh joined the Sikh Regiment in 1949 and was part of the 1^st Battalion. During his regiment days, Hardayal Singh continued playing hockey and was even part of the Sikh regiment's hockey team. He later went on to become the coach and manager after his retirement from the army.

In an interview with Tribune India, Singh said that he joined the army on the advice of a well-wisher. He was working at the Survey of India in Dehradun when he decided to join the army.

"In August 1949, I went to the Sikh Regimental Centre, which was in Ambala, and made it to the Sikh Regiment on sports quota, since I used to play hockey really well," he said. "I was commissioned into the 1 Sikh Regiment as a jawan, but later I was transferred to the 7 Sikh Regiment."

Hardayal Singh was given the  'Dhyan Chand Award' for his contribution to hockey in 2004 for lifetime achievement in sports.

Arvind Pandey, the Minister for School & Sanskrit Education, Sports, Youth Welfare & Panchayati Raj of Uttarakhand tweeted his condolences about Singh after the hockey player's death was announced. 

According to a report by Indian Express, Brigadier Gakhal recalls "Subedar Hardayal Singh served with the Sikh Regimental hockey team till he took premature retirement in 1969 to tend to his wife who was ill". His wife was suffering from a brain tumour and passed away the same year he retired.

Three years after his wife's death, Hardayal Singh also coached the national team from 1983 to 1987. He also coached the junior national team.