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Indian hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr cremated with state honours

One of the country's most iconic athletes, Balbir Sr was the only Indian among 16 legends who got picked by the International Olympic Committee across modern Olympic history.

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Indian hockey legend and three-time Olympic gold medalist Balbir Singh Sr, who passed away at the age of 95, was cremated with state honours on Monday.

The Sports Minister of Punjab Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi was also in attendance at the funeral and announced that the Mohali Stadium will be named after Balbir Singh.

"Definitely, we will do it. He is the biggest name in the world of hockey. The Chief Minister (Captain Amarinder Singh) will make the announcement in this regard," Sodhi told reporters when asked if the Mohali stadium will be named after the legendary hockey player.

Sodhi also claimed that Balbir Singh will be honoured with the prestigious Bharat Ratna Award and stated that Punjab Chief Minister has already written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for it.

"The Chief Minister has already written a letter to the Prime Minister. I hope this will be done at the earliest. This should have happened when he was alive, but the central government did not pay attention to it. He truly deserves this and he will get the Bharat Ratna Award," the minister said.

Since May 18, Balbir Sr was in a semi-comatose state, developing a blood clot in his brain. He was first hospitalized for bronchial pneumonia with a high fever.

One of the country's most iconic athletes, Balbir Sr was the only Indian among 16 legends who got picked by the International Olympic Committee across modern Olympic history.

He still holds the prestigious world record for the most number of goals scored by an individual in the men's hockey final of the Olympics.

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