Davinder Singh Garcha, a part of the gold medal-winning Indian hockey team at the Moscow 1980 Olympics, died on Saturday. He was 73 years old.
Garcha was hospitalised on January 2 after reporting chest discomfort and underwent a minor surgery before being released four days later. However, he passed away at his home in Jalandhar, Punjab, on Saturday morning. His cremation will be held on January 14.
Born on December 7, 1952, in Amritsar to dairy farmer parents, Davinder Singh Garcha made his international debut for the Indian hockey team at the 1979 Moscow pre-Olympic tournament.
An enterprising attacker, Davinder Singh scored eight times in six matches at Moscow 1980 to help guide India to a record eighth Olympic gold after beating Spain 4-3 in the final. This was India’s last gold medal in men’s hockey at the Olympics.
Prior to his Moscow 1980 Olympic exploits, he had finished as India’s leading scorer at the Champions Trophy in Karachi, where India placed fifth.
Overall, he played over 30 international matches across three tournaments and scored 19 goals for India.
His achievements on the hockey field were recognised in 2021 when he received the Dhyan Chand Award for his accomplishments.
Outside the hockey field, Davinder Singh Garcha was an IPS officer and served as Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of the Punjab Police.
He was also closely associated with hockey promotion and served as president of the Olympian Surjit Hockey Society, which organises an annual hockey tournament.
Davinder Singh Garcha was also president of the famous Mohinder Singh Munshi Hockey tournament, which is an annual all-India junior U19 hockey competition held in Jalandhar. It is organised in memory of Olympian Mohinder Singh Munshi, a key player in India’s 1975 World Cup-winning squad.
