Raja Bhalindra Singh (9 October 1919 – 16 April 1992) was an Indian first class cricketer and Maharajkumar of
Patiala
Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubarak ...
. His father was
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, (12 October 1891 – 23 March 1938) was an Indian royal and cricket player. He was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala in British India from 1900 to 1938.
Biography
Bhupinder Singh was born at ...
and his brother,
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh
Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh () was the 9th and last ruling Maharaja of Patiala from 1938 to 1971. He was also an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1934.
Early life and family
Born at Patiala City in Patiala State, within the ...
, played
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
for
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 so ...
.
Bhalindra was a right-handed middle order batsman and handy right arm slow bowler. He played just one first class match in England, for
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
in 1939 against
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
. The rest of his games were played for Southern Punjab and Patiala back home in India. His only century was made for Southern Punjab against Northern India in 1943-44.
After finishing his cricket career, he was very active as a national sports administrator. Singh was a member of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
from 1947-92, and was the president of the
Indian Olympic Association
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets and for managing the Indian teams ...
from 1960-75 and from 1980-84. He was instrumental in organising and bringing the
9th Asian Games
The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of t ...
to Delhi in 1982. Singh was awarded the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
award in 1983.
His son Raja
Randhir Singh Randhir Singh may refer to:
* Randhir Singh of Kapurthala (1831–1870), ruler of the Indian princely state of Kapurthala
* Randhir Singh of Bharatpur (died 1823), ruler of the Indian princely state of Bharatpur
* Randhir Singh (Sikh) (1878–1961) ...
was the secretary general of
Indian Olympic Association
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets and for managing the Indian teams ...
from 1987 to 2012. Randhir has also been the Acting President of
Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current Acting President is Raja Randhir Singh, substituting Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah.
The headquarter ...
(OCA) since 2021. Randhir was also the Secretary General of the
Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current Acting President is Raja Randhir Singh, substituting Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah.
The headquarter ...
since 1991-2015, the representative for
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 so ...
on the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) from 2001-2014, and since 2014, Randhir has been an honorary member of the IOC. Randhir is a 1979 recipient of the
Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Bhalindra
1919 births
1992 deaths
Indian cricketers
Indian sports executives and administrators
Cambridge University cricketers
Southern Punjab cricketers
Patiala cricketers
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in sports
Aitchison College alumni
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge