The Golden Hat-Trick

The Autobiography of Balbir Singh (Senior)
By Samuel Banerjee, Vikas Publishers, 1977

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Celebrations Abroad				The side I loved most of the people of Copenhagen was their love for sport. It is a city of cyclists - look anywhere, and you will see cyclists pedalling by with a smile on their face. Tennis, badminton, football, athletics, bowling are extremely popular. Sport is a way of life with people in the west, and that is one plus point that always draws me to Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand.
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e went back to Copenhagen to relax, let our hair down and see the sights of that lovely sports loving town. Coach Harbail and manager Mitra joined us in our carefree outings, and we literally painted the town red.

Harbail and Mitra gave us 48 hours to enjoy ourselves. It was clean fun and frolic all the way. No overdrinking, no going to brothels, nothing in excess. As it is, I have always abhorred these vices, and fortunately, the men in our team weren't exactly 'womanisers.' There was no occasion for us to feel ashamed or sorry for our actions.

The side I loved most of the people of Copenhagen was their love for sport. It is a city of cyclists - look anywhere, and you will see cyclists pedalling by with a smile on their face. Tennis, badminton, football, athletics, bowling are extremely popular. Sport is a way of life with people in the west, and that is one plus point that always draws me to Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand.

We played exhibition matches in Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Berlin. We went round the stadium where the 1936 Indian Olympic team won their third successive gold under Dhyan Chand's leadership. The empty stands seemed to resonate with memories of that great Indian side that beat Germany 8-1 in the final.

Victorious 1952 Helsinki Team at the Casino Hotel in Berlin