Sikhs in Hockey at Olympic Games

Dil Bahra, Bexleyheath, UK

Please send any observations/comments to Dilbahra@aol.com

Any updates, missing information and photographs will be most appreciated

About me

Diljit Singh (Dil) Bahra

I was born in Maji Mazuri, Kenya on 8th January 1950 and studied at Menengai High School, Nakuru. I played hockey for the school team and Nakuru Rangers, a club run by Harvinder Singh Marwa, who was a Kenyan International at the time and went on to represent Kenya at the 1968 Mexico City and Munich Olympic Games.

I immigrated to the United Kingdom in May 1967 and joined the British Army the following year. I served with the Royal Engineers in UK, Germany, Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Kenya. I played hockey for various Army units and represented the Army team in Cyprus. I was also a member of the famous Exiles Hockey Club in Cyprus in the early seventies.

On leaving the Armed services I joined the Metropolitan Police London in April 1975. During my 32 years police service, I was involved in hockey as a player, coach, team manager, umpire, liaison officer and an administrator.

In 1981 I formed the British Police Hockey Team and was the Team Coach / Manager for a period of 15 years.

I have been involved in hockey at National, European and World level. I was on the organising committee for the World Cup in London in 1986. I am a technical officer for England Hockey and was the Media Officer for the International Hockey Federation (FIH) at the Junior World Cup in 1997, Women’s Olympic Qualifier in 2000, Men’s Champions Trophy in 2002 and the Women’s Champions Challenge in 2003.

In April 2006, I was invited to be on a Judging panel in New Delhi to select the top 10 ‘Sardars of Hockey’. Balbir Singh Senior was judged as the top ‘Sardar of Hockey’.

I have travelled to India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, USA, Chile and most of the European countries covering hockey.

I retired from the police service last year.

Hockey Writers Club members in Chennai 2005

I am currently the Hon. Secretary of the Hockey Writers’ Club (international membership) and the Media Overseers co-ordinator for the AIPS Hockey commission and the Hockey Writers’ Club.

Website:

In January 2005, I was invited to be a member of the Vaisakhi in London Steering group and given the task of identifying all Sikh Olympians living in the UK.

The theme for Mayor of London’s Vaisakhi celebrations in 2005 was to celebrate the achievements of Sikh Olympians and support London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

As a result of my intensive research, with assistance from Patrick Rowley, Bill Colwill OBE and Peter Luck of Hockey Writers’ Club, I was able to compile a list of all Sikh Olympians and establish that most of the Sikh Olympians living in the UK were hockey players though there were also three wrestlers and a weightlifter. I went to the IOC Library in Lausanne to conduct part of my research.
On Sunday 24th April 2005 London saw the biggest ever gathering of Sikh Olympians at the third annual festival of Vaisakhi, a celebration of hugh significance for the Sikh community, held in Trafalgar Square.

Players to grace the occasion included the legendary Indian centre forward Balbir Singh Senior, a triple gold medallist, and India’s winning Captain in 1956 Melbourne Olympics and Avtar Singh Sohal, who played in four Olympics and was Kenya captain three times.

The gathering had Sikhs Olympians from 1948 London Olympics right up to Athens Olympics. They had participated in fifteen Olympic Games between them, representing Great Britain, India, Kenya and Uganda.

Having done all the research into Sikh Olympians and established that hockey was the only sport in which Sikhs have won Gold medals, I decided to set up this website as a tribute to Sikh Hockey Olympians world wide and to highlight their achievements at Olympic Games since 1928.

The website will include profiles and photos of all players, coaches and umpires. Playing records of the eight countries Sikhs have represented are on the website as link documents. Brief history of Sikhs playing in these countries prior to the selection of the first Sikh to represent that country is also included under the country page. Sikh Olympic goal scorers are also listed and there is a page on Sikh Hockey Stamps. The Trivia link takes you to some interesting facts on Sikhs at Olympic Games.

Contributions to the website are most welcome.

Acknowledgements:

All Players, Coaches & Umpires – for their profiles
Amateur Athletic Foundation Library (Los Angeles) – Past Olympic Records
Arumugam, K (India) - Photos
Pecker, Morley (England/Belgium) - Photos
Balbir Singh Senior – Past records and contacts
British Library, Newspaper Section (Colindale, London)
British Olympic Association
Colwill, Bill, OBE (London) - Hockey Archives
Gill, Jiti (London) – Kenya Photos
Hockey Sport
Hong Kong Hockey Association
Huckendubler, Yan (Canada) - Photos
I.O.C.(Lausanne): List of all hockey participants at Olympic Games
I.O.C. Library (Lausanne) – Reference books
John, Vino (Chennai, India) - Photos
Joshi, B.G. (India) - Records
Luck, Peter (London) - Photos
Malaysia Hockey Confederation
Rowley, Patrick (London) – Hockey Archives & photos
Sternberger, Dr. Wolfgang (Germany) – Photos
World Hockey

And most of all my wife Pami and daughters Jasmeet & Sukdeep for their support, encouragement, help and co-operation.