New Delhi: Mr Sarpal Singh, veteran field hockey player and celebrated coach, received the prestigious Dronacharya Award from Shri Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs and Information & Broadcasting on Wednesday. The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) conferred Mr Singh with the Dronacharya Award in the Lifetime Category in 2021 for his lifelong contribution to field hockey.
Founding Director of RoundGlass Sports, Mr Singh has represented Punjab and India in various hockey tournaments in his career and later devoted himself to mentoring players and helping identify and nurture talent, including international hockey players and Olympians from India. He has coached the Northern Railways teams, which won the Nehru Gold Cup, Bombay Gold Cup and Gwalior Gold Cup.
During his tenure as the coach of the Northern Railways Hockey Team, Sarpal Singh groomed some of the finest hockey players India has ever produced. Pirthipal Singh, Mohinder Lal, Harbinder Singh, Chand Singh, Mukhbain Singh, Varinder Singh, Ajit Singh, Inder Singh are among the great disciples of Sarpal Singh who was also nominated as of one of the coaches for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by the Indian Hockey Team.
Speaking about the recognition, Mr Singh said, “I am filled with gratitude on receiving the esteemed Dronacharya Award for my contribution to field hockey. Once again, I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports for this acknowledgement and feel truly humbled by it. Being a part of India’s glorious hockey history has been an incredible privilege, and I am honored to have played a role in it. Through RoundGlass Sports, I continue my dedication to this sport and strive to identify and nurture Indian talent to restore Punjab’s and India’s former glory in field hockey.”
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