Guru Dutt Sondhi
| Prof. Guru Dutt Sondhi | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
10 December 1890 in Lahore (now in Pakistan) |
| Died | November 20, 1966 |
| Alma mater |
Government College, Lahore, Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Initially Principal and then Sports Administrator |
Guru Dutt Sondhi (10 December 1890 – 20 November 1966)[1] was a sports administrator in India, manager of the Indian Olympic team at three Olympics, and the founder of the Asian Games Federation (AGF).[2]
Early Life
Guru Dutt Sondhi was born on 10 December, 1890 in Lahore (now in Pakistan) to a Punjabi Khatri family. His father was a barrister in Jalandhar, Punjab. He attended Government College, Lahore from 1905 to 1911 and then Trinity College, Cambridge, England from 1911 to 1914. He was intersted in sports. During his study year in the Government College he was the half-mile and cross-country sport champion of University of the Punjab in 1911. He was also the member of Trinity College's hockey team.
He then became the first Indian Principal of Government College, Lahore from 1939 to 1945. After partition of India, he joined Panjab University, Chandigarh and served at various positions as a sports administrator. He believed that sound body is necessary for a sound mind.[3]
Sports and University Administrator
Guru Dutt Sondhi served in several positions:
- Manager for the Indian Olympic team at the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Olympics.
- The first Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association since 1938 (and its assistant secretary from 1927-38)
- Chairman of the Punjab Olympic Association, 1927-1938.[4]
- Principal of Government College University - Lahore, 1939–45;[5] when his term ended in 1945, became sports advisor to the government of India.[6]
- The first President of the Athletics Federation of India (1946–50) and Vice-President of the International Hockey Federation in 1946.[4]
- Founder and Key Organiser of the 1951 Asian Games.
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, 1932 to the 1950s.[7]
The First Asian Games
The idea for Asian sports was reborn during the Asian Relations Conference held under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru soon after India's Independence. The idea was translated into reality during the 1948 London Olympic Games when India’s Prof. Guru Dutt Sondhi, a former Principal of the Government College, Lahore, called a six-nation meeting to form the Asian Games Federation (AGF). Following this, the AGF was formalised at Delhi’s Patiala House on February 12–13, 1949, and delegates drafted and accepted a constitution. The five charter members forming the federation were Afghanistan, Burma, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.[2]
The delegates also decided to hold the Asian Games after every four years, midway between the Olympic Games; and they agreed on the simple motto which was designed and proposed by Guru Dutt Sondhi: "Ever Onward" on top of an Orange Sun that represents the ever glimmering and warm spirit of the Asian people.
References
- ↑ The Olympic Movement in Mourning, 1966
- 1 2 John Nauright and Charles Parrish."Sports around the World: History, Culture, and Practice (4 volumes)" , published by ABC-CLIO
- ↑ Fan Hong, "Sport, Nationalism and Orientalism: The Asian Games"
- 1 2 http://library.la84.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1980/ore149/ORE149u.pdf
- ↑ http://www.gcu.edu.pk/GCUHistory/frame_files/GDSondhi.htm
- ↑ http://www.gcu.edu.pk/GCUHistory/frame_files/GCU%20pdf_Principal%20Wise/11%20-%20G%20.D.%20Sondhi.pdf
- ↑ Members of the IOC do not represent countries but are ambassadors from the IOC to the sports associations of their countries