Balwant Singh Sagwal

Balwant Singh Sagwal (died 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 . Narender play for Indian volleyball Team . Kaul Village also organised Balwant Singh Ballu Memoriel tournament ( after his death & orgained by Kaul Village & also by his son Narender ) in his born place ( his village ) Kaul ( Kaithal ) Participate all India top 8 Teams .

Biography

Balwant Singh Ballu in a photo

Balwant Singh Sagwal was born in the village of Kaul in the Kaithal district of Haryana.

Sporting career

Sagwal was a tall, ungainly youth. His height was 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) with correspondingly big hands and feet. He was from a modest background and joined the Border Security Force (BSF) in Jalandhar, Punjab, which had a reputation for producing quality volleyball players at the time.[3]

In the mid-1960s and into the 1970s, he was responsible for helping Punjab achieve national success,[4] and he was awarded the country's top sporting honor, the Arjuna Award,[5] in volleyball in 1972 for his excellent sportsmanship and contribution to the national team. Sagwal played for India in Asian Games of 1970, 1974, and 1978.[5] He also played test matches for India in 1970, 1978 and 1980.

The first National Volleyball Championship in which Sagwal took part was that of 1965 and he continued to play in the Nationals till 1988. Between 1968 and 1981, Punjab won National Championships 10 times largely due to the performance of Sagwal. Sagwal participated in the All India Police Games from 1966 to 1990 representing Punjab Police and BSF.

Death and legacy

Sagwal ran a volleyball academy in Kaul, and a stadium was named after him. He died in November 2010.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Volleyball shows the way". Sportstar. 27 Sep – 3 Oct 2003. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Keerthivasan, K. (15 December 2010). "Narender Singh does the star turn for Haryana". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  3. ↑ Singh, Prabhjot (18 November 2001). "Punjab: The spirit of sport". Sunday Tribune. India. Retrieved 2011-11-12. The BSF also used to take pride in its volleyball (Nripjit Singh Bedi, Sukhpal and Balwant Singh Sagwal) and basketball team (Anil Punj, Nirmal Chaudhary)
  4. ↑ Keerthivasan, K. (17 December 2010). "Punjab through to quarterfinals". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Sagwal passes away". The Hindu. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
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