Balwan Singh is a known name in the sport of Kabaddi for decades. One of the legendary coaches of the Indian Kabaddi team, he has been associated with the team through many international wins. As he celebrates his birthday today, let us know more about his contributions to Kabaddi over the years.

1. Balwan Singh started his career as a wrestler as his grandfather was also a wrestler. However, due to a neck injury, Singh shifted to Kabaddi. He played for 12 years from 1981 & 1993 and was also a part of the Indian Kabaddi team.

2. As a member of the Indian men's Kabaddi team, Singh has won gold medals at the 1988 Asian Kabaddi Championships and 1989 South Asian Games.

3. After his retirement as a player, Balwan Singh still wanted to be associated with Kabaddi and help the sport grow in India. He took the coaching course and went on to become the coach for the Services team.

4. After coaching the Services team, Balwan Singh was named the coach for the Indian men's Kabaddi team. He guided the Indian team to win gold medals in 2006, 2010, and 2014 Asian Games in Qatar, Guangzhou, and Incheon respectively.

5. Coach Singh was also the coach of the team during their triumph in 2004, 2007, and 2016 Kabaddi World Cups.

6. He has been instrumental in finding and coaching the stalwarts of the Indian Kabaddi team like Anup Kumar, Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chillar, Rakesh Kumar, and many more.

7. Coach Singh has been honored with the Dronacharya Award by the Government of India. The award is given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports every year to the outstanding coaches in sports and games.

8. Balwan Singh has been a coach of Pro Kabaddi franchise Jaipur Pink Panthers. He guided the team during the Pro Kabaddi Season 5

9. Recently, Balwan Singh was made a part of the Indian Kabaddi team's coaching panel. He was added to the panel along with Ashan Kumar and Jaivir Sharma. In their first assignment, the trio guided the Indian team to a gold medal at the South Asian Games 2019.