Bhalindra Singh

Bhalindra Singh (9 October 1919 – 16 April 1992) was an Indian sports administrator, politician and first-class cricketer. Singh was an influential sports administrator who held positions in international and Indian sports governing bodies. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1947 to 1992.

Background and education Bhalindra Singh was born on 9 October 1919 in Patiala, Punjab Province, British India. He was a younger son of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala and a member of the Phulkian dynasty. Singh's mother was Jaswant Kaur. His mother, Jaswant, was the sister of Gian Singh Rarewala, who was the first Chief Minister of the former state of Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), and a former President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. His elder brother was Yadavindra Singh, the last ruling Maharaja of Patiala. Nirlep Kaur, Singh's cousin and the daughter of his uncle, Gian Singh Rarewala, was a politician who served as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha and her husband, Rajdev Singh Akoi, was an owner of The Imperial, a luxury hotel in New Delhi.

Singh was educated at Aitchison College in Lahore and later attended Magdalene College, Cambridge in England.

Cricket career Singh was a right-handed middle order batsman and right arm slow bowler. He was instrumental in organising and bringing the 9th Asian Games to Delhi in 1982. Singh also served as the President of the Asian Games Federation.

Singh was President of the Athletics Federation of India from 1952 to 1968. He was also the President of the Swimming Federation of India from 1952 to 1955. Singh was the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1960 to 1975 and from 1980 to 1984.

Political career Singh was a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Patiala Assembly constituency from 1958 to 1962. Service Award by the United States Sports Academy – 1983

Personal life and family Singh was married to Pushpa Kumari, the daughter of Charat Singh, the ruler of Sahanpur, and the paternal aunt of Bharatendra Singh, a former Lok Sabha Member of Parliament and a former member of the court of Aligarh Muslim University. Singh had 3 daughters and one son. His granddaughter Rajeshwari Kumari, the daughter of his son Randhir, has been an Olympic-level trap shooter. One of Singh's daughters was Padmesh Kumari, whose daughter, Shagun Khanna, married politician and businessman Arvind Khanna. Singh’s cousin through his mother Jaswant, was A. S. Dulat, former Secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s foreign intelligence agency.