Baljit ("Baljeet") Singh Saini (born 12 August 1976 in

Ropar Rupnagar (; formerly known as Ropar is a city and a municipal council in Rupnagar district in the Indian state of Punjab. Rupnagar is a newly created fifth Divisional Headquarters of Punjab comprising Rupnagar, Mohali, and its adjoining distr ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

) is a

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shootin ...

defender and midfielder from

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

who made his international debut for the Men's National Team in 1995 during the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup. Baljit Singh

Saini Saini () is a caste of North India who were traditionally landowners (zamindars) and farmers. Sainis claim to be descendants of a king, Shurasena, as well as of Krishna and Porus, and to be related to the ancient Shoorsaini clan,'' "The Sa ...

represented his native country at two consecutive

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

, starting in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, where India finished in eighth place. His older brother

Balwinder Singh Balwinder Singh, also known as Fidda or Fiddu, is an Indian professional Kabaddi player who received Arjuna Award in 1999 for his performances. He was born on 23 March 1956 to Charan Kaur and Sardar Banta Singh in village Tandi, District Kapurth ...

was also a field hockey international for India. Baljit has won many awards. In June 2008 he visited the US again, while participating in tournaments. He participated in many tournaments throughout the US, visiting many different states and cities during his triumphut run. Baljit also has family who resides in Fresno, California (USA) and he was honored by the Indian Community of Fresno, CA. In an event organized by Rama Kant Dawar and Paramjit Singh Mond, hosted by Kam Nigam, Baljit received an Honorary Recognition Award for his successes.

References

Bharatiya Hockey

External links

* 1976 births Living people Field hockey players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Field hockey players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic field hockey players for India Indian male field hockey players People from Rupnagar Recipients of the Arjuna Award Place of birth missing (living people) Indian Sikhs Field hockey players from Punjab, India Asian Games medalists in field hockey Field hockey players at the 1998 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for India Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games 1998 Men's Hockey World Cup players 2002 Men's Hockey World Cup players {{India-fieldhockey-bio-stub