Balwant Singh Sagwal

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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.[citation needed]

Sporting career

Sagwal was a tall, ungainly youth. His height was 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) with correspondingly big hands and feet.[citation needed] He was from a modest background[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

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

Death and legacy

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

References

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