Hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr. hospitalised in critical condition

Three-time Olympic gold medallist and hockey legend Balbir Singh has been admitted to the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh after he complained of a difficulty while breathing.

The 94-year-old center-forward was hospitalised on October 1.

“He is critical and is admitted in the RICU. His heart rate is quite slow and blood pressure is very low,” a PGI official, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“The purpose of endotracheal intubation is to permit air to pass freely to and fro from the lungs in order to ventilate the lungs,” a doctor told PTI.

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It has also been reported that he has shown mild improvement during his one-day stay at the hospital but will continue to remain at the hospital.

Singh was part of India’s first post-Independence hockey team that had won the gold in the 1948 London Olympics and was also a member of the 1952 Olympics and 1956 Melbourne Olympics gold-winning team.

In 2012, Singh became the only Indian chosen as part of 16 hockey legends chosen by the International Olympic committee across the world.

He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1957 and was also manager of India’s only World Cup winning team in 1975.

Image Source: Deccan Herald