Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games, Japan Team Walk out

India's pool match against Japan featured one of the most amazing incidents in the history of Olympic hockey. They won the match by five goals to nil without actually scoring a goal.

They were awarded the match by the technical delegates of the International Hockey Federation when the Japanese team walked off the field before the final whistle and refused to return. With 15 minutes to go, the British umpire Archie Young awarded a penalty stroke against the Japanese. Inamur Rehman, who had replaced Inder at inside left, was breaking into the circle when there was a clash of sticks as he went to pass the Japanese back Katsuhire Yuzaki.

The umpire decided that Inam had been fouled and presumed that a certain goal had been prevented. He, therefore, awarded the most drastic penalty. The Japanese did not first realize what decision the umpires had made. They thought the whistle had gone for a foul against their player. When the truth quickly became apparent, they surrounded the umpire, protesting and indicated the nature of the foul committed not by their player but by Inam.

The umpire stuck firmly to his decision indicating a second time that he had awarded the penalty-stroke. With that several of the Japanese players threw down their sticks in disgust. In great anger, their captain led the team off the field.

The Jury of appeal chairman, Mr Stewart McIldowie of South Africa ordered the Japanese manager to get his team on the field within 30 seconds but because they were so upset there was never any chance that they would return.

When the whistle went for the game to resume, the Indians were still on the field watching incredulously. At least three minutes had elapsed. The Japanese did not reappear and the umpire blew his whistle again indicating that the game was over.

Balbir Singh (Services) was the Indian player who was waiting to take the penalty stroke.

The Japanese, it was revealed afterwards, were strongly favoured to win the Fair-play trophy which was being awarded at Mexico City Olympics tournament for the first time.

Munich 1972 Olympic Games

The 11 days of these Games were perhaps the greatest Olympic festival ever. However, on the morning of 5 September, the Games were interrupted when eight Arab terrorists, representing the militant group "Black September" entered the Olympic Village, took hostage and then killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team - all this only 20km from Dachau. The Olympic Games were suspended for 34 hours and a mass was held in the main stadium to commemorate the victims. The flags of all the countries were flown at half-mast. But the Games continued at the insistence of the IOC President Avery Brundage, who famously said "The Games must go on !"

On 7th September 1972 a Memorial service was held in the Olympic Stadium in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes who had been gunned down by Palestinian terrorists the day before.

Sadly the Munich Games of 1972 will always be remembered for the wrong reasons. But for Sikhs these games saw 30 Sikh players playing hockey representing India, Kenya, Uganda and Malaysia.

These Games also saw the emergence of the Ugandan Hockey team who had nine Sikhs making their one and only Olympic appearance. Uganda went to these Games at a great disadvantage. They were virtual novices on the world stage. Three draws  one against the eventual champions Germany were great results and they did finish with their solo Olympic victory.

The political climate in Uganda shortly after the Olympic Games meant that all the Asian players had to leave the country on their return.

The pool match between India and Kenya on 2nd September 1972 saw 15 Sikh players on the field at the same time  10 for Kenya and 5 for India. Both the teams were captained by Sikhs, Harmik Singh captaining India and Avtar Singh Sohal captaining Kenya. India won that match 3  2, all five goals being scored by Sikhs, Mukhbain Singh scoring two and Harmik Singh one for India and Davinder Singh Deegan scoring two for Kenya.

Sikhs scored a total of 35 goals at the Munich Games.

The Munich Games were to have been followed by a special match between the Olympic Champions and a World XI.

Because the hostage crisis caused a whole day of the Olympic programme to be lost, the Munich final was played on the day the World XI match should have been staged.

Horst Wein and Patrick Rowley had been charged with running and selecting the World XI. They never did announce the names of the World XI players. Had the special match gone ahead, the World XI would have, without any doubt, included several Sikh players.

The 26 players short listed for the World XI were:

A Carrera (Spain); P Dearing (Australia); M Sikking (Holland); A Belavantheran (Malaysia); M Kindo (India); M Zaman (Pakistan); M Peter (W. Germany); A Solie (Belgium); Ajit Pal Singh (India); A Kumar (India); B Cotton (GB); H. Droese (W. Germany); F Fabregas (Spain); J Fabregas (Spain); F Rehman (Pakistan); B Govinda (India); R Haigh (Australia); Islahuddin (Pakistan); C Keller (W. Germany); T Kruize (Holland); Kuldip Singh Bhogal (Uganda); S Maister (New Zealand); S Anwar (Pakistan); M Shahnaz (Pakistan); Surjit Singh Rihal (Kenya); U Vos (W. Germany).

Avtar Singh Sohal (Tari) of Kenya became the first player to Captain an Olympic team at three consecutive Olympic Games and play in four Olympics. His achievements of playing in 167 internationals was recorded in Guinness Book of Records from 1979 - 1985.

For the first time since 1920 a European team won the Gold Medal. Germany beat Pakistan, 1 0 in the final to win this honour.

India s team was captained by Harmik Singh.

Kenya s team was captained by Avtar Singh Sohal.

Uganda s team was captained by Rajinder Singh Sandhu.

1976, XXI Olympic Games held in Montreal, July 17 August 1, Kenya Team

Tarlochan Singh Channa
Patrick Martins
Satpal Singh Marwa
Arif Chaudhry
Kuljeet Singh Dhak
Davinder Singh Deegan
Shabir Bhatti
Brajinder Daved
Amarjeet Singh Marwa
Raphael Fernandes
Joseph Ndungu
Reynold Pereira
Edwin Were
Naran Rajput
Surjit Singh Rihal (captain)
Pradeep Singh Giddie

The team was in the Olympic village when Kenya together with the other African countries decided to boycott the Games for political reasons.

Moscow 1980 Olympic Games: Great Britain Team

The Moscow Games boycott by Great Britain deprived Sutinder Singh Khehar, and Iqbal Singh Kullar the chance of playing at Olympic Games.

Both were in the squad of 20 and had played in the Champions Trophy in Karachi in January that year.

The 1980 squad from which selection for the Moscow Games would have been made:

Bernie Cotton (Capt.) (Southgate & England)
Paul Barber (Slough & England)
Roly Brookeman (Southgate & England)
Richard Dodds (Southgate & England)
James Duthie (Southgate & England)
Norman Hughes (Wakefield & England)
Sutinder Singh Khehar (Slough & England)
Iqbal Singh Kullar (Beckenham & England)
David Owen (Southgate & England)
Ian Taylor (Slough & England)
David Westcott (St. Albans & England)
David Whitaker (Southgate & England)
Billy McLean (Edinburgh Civil Service & Scotland)
Terry Gregg (Belfast YMCA & Ireland)
Martin Brough (Harborne & Wales)
Bob Cattrall (Southgate & Wales)
Cemlyn Foulkes (Hightown & Wales)
Peter Marsh (Harborne & Wales)
Howard Williams (Cardiff & Wales)
Robbie Williams (Cardiff & Wales)

Team Manager: Roger D Self 

When Indra Gandhi Asked: Why Sikh Players only

An extract from Mr Ashwani Kumar s speech made at a function on 25 April 2006 at Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi to felicitate the top 10 Sikh hockey Olympians of India. I was present at this function which was attended by the National press of India and several Olympians. Dil Bahra

"In 1974 when I was an Inspector-General in the Border Security Force I received a call from the Prime Minister s Office that Mrs Indira Gandhi wanted to see me urgently that evening. I was on an inspection visit to some border posts in Kashmir near Gulmarg. I was stunned at this SOS from the PMO. A chopper flew me from Gulmarg to Srinagar from where I took a regular flight of the Indian Airlines to New Delhi.

I could not guess the reason for the summons. There was not much happening in either the Border Security Force or Jammu and Kashmir. Anyway, I reached Delhi and went to call on the Prime Minister at the appointed time.

After a formal exchange of greetings, I mustered some courage to ask the Prime Minister: Madam, you asked for me. Is there anything specific?

No, nothing much. The only reason I have called you here is to tell you that the Education Minister recently pointed out to me that you have been recruiting too many Sikh hockey players, said Mrs Gandhi. I kept quiet though I was very upset. I returned to the guest house and signed my letter of resignation from the presidentship of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and sent it immediately to the then President of the Indian Olympic Association, Raja Bhalendra Singh. All my friends in sports in general and hockey in particular advised me against this step. But I was determined. I had so much faith and trust in my hockey players, most of whom were Sikhs. I could not have left them down.

The contribution of Sikhs to Indian hockey has always been immense and I salute them."

Mr Ashwani Kumar is a well known Sports administration. He was Deputy Chef de Mission at the 1956 Olympic Games and Chef de Mission in 1960 and 1964 and at the Commonwealth Games in 1954, 1958 and 1970; head of the Indian hockey delegation at the Olympic Games in 1964 and 1968; President of the Indian Hockey Federation for 16 years; former Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association; member of the Commonwealth Games Federation and of the Asian Games Federation; Vice-President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for more than 15 years; President of the Indian Basketball Federation; President of the Punjab Olympic Association (12 years); elected Life President of the Indian Olympic Association.

His IOC History reads as follows: Member of the IOC from 1973 to 2000; Honorary Member since 2000; member of the Executive Board (1980-1987, 1992-1996); Vice-President of the IOC (1983- 1987); member of the following Commissions: Olympic Solidarity (1980-1984), Olympic Movement (1983-1987, 1992-1996), Mass Media (1983-1989), preparation of the XII Olympic Congress  Congress of Unity (1985-1987), Radio (1983-1987), Council of the Olympic Order (1983-1987); security delegate (1983-2001)