lit a candle 3h agoHad never heard of Savinder Singh until today, looked up the 1968 Mexico City squad after reading this. 15th place doesn't sound like much until you realize he kept playing at that level for ten more years.
Their story
Savinder Singh was a Malaysian field hockey player who represented his country at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and later won two Asian Games bronze medals. A tall, slim centre half, he played for Malaysia across a decade of major tournaments, from the Mexico City Games to the…
Savinder Singh was a Malaysian field hockey player who represented his country at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and later won two Asian Games bronze medals. A tall, slim centre half, he played for Malaysia across a decade of major tournaments, from the Mexico City Games to the Asian Games of 1978, and kept playing at the top level until the age of 40.
He was born on 2 June 1938, and his full name was given in his family's death notice as A. Savinder Singh a/l Ajeet Singh. Olympic records list him at 178 centimetres tall. Little has been published about his childhood, but he made his home in Ipoh, Perak, where he lived for the rest of his life.
Savinder's best known appearance came at the 1968 Olympics, where he played in the men's hockey tournament for a Malaysian team that finished 15th. His former team-mate Datuk N. Sri Shanmuganatan later said he had played his role well as centre half in Mexico City.
His international career continued well into the 1970s. He was part of the Malaysian squads that won bronze medals in the men's team hockey tournament at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran and the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. The New Straits Times recalled that he joined a strong side captained by goalkeeper Ho Koh Chye, alongside players such as Shanmuganatan, Yang Siow Ming, Koh Hock Seng, Joseph Johnson, Michael Arulraj, Francis Belavantheran and Harnahal Singh Sewa. He retired from the game after the Bangkok Games in 1978, at the age of 40.
After his death, those who had played alongside him remembered him not for headlines but for his character, describing him as a very humble and quiet gentleman. He was married to Sukhbinder Kaur, and they had three children, Kulvinder Singh, Kavita Kaur and Sumita Kaur.
Savinder Singh died peacefully on Friday 30 October 2026, aged 88. His death was reported that day by the New Straits Times. His cremation was arranged for the following day at the Wadda Gurdwara in Ipoh, with a Path Da Bhog prayer service planned for 14 November 2026 at the Ashby Road Gurdwara in Ipoh.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), New Straits Times and Olympedia. Wikipedia ↗
Photos
1Savinder Singh, from his family's obituary notice
by People Forever
same, didn't know Malaysia even had a hockey team back then