1960 was a great year for Ceylon hockey under Chanmugam | Sunday Observer

1960 was a great year for Ceylon hockey under Chanmugam

26 December, 2021

Dr. WR Chanmugam was one of the very best personalities elected to serve hockey in then Ceylon, and I dare say up to today, in Sri Lanka.

The good doctor was a stalwart of the Tamil Union C&AC, a renowned administrator and a passionate lover of hockey.

All others were Internationals of repute with Russell Heyn, Leslie Sellayah, A Mylgavanam and Fulham Wright captaining Ceylon. Furthermore, Chandra Schaffter also represented Ceylon at cricket and managed both hockey and cricket teams on tours abroad. A rare double-double International. Hockey indeed was in very capable hands.

Eventually 1960 became a great year for Ceylon hockey. The Indian Hockey Federation officials had heard and also witnessed the performance of the Ceylon team on their tour to Delhi and Punjab in 1959, including those of Dhyan Chand and Balbir Singh.

It was a matter of pride and honour to our country for the reigning Olympic champions India to play a series of three Tests on their way to the 1960 Rome Olympics. Any Olympic team is very special taking into consideration the preparation that goes to select the final contingent over a period of four years.

Ceylon was expected to participate in the Olympics but lack of the required finances was a damper. It was a huge blow to the players who were in training.

Even during the latter part of the historic Ceylon tour of Delhi and Punjab in 1959, the Indian HF officials were optimistic that we could do well.

When the Indian Olympic team was announced, 10 out of the 11 players were selected to play in the three Tests. Ceylon had played against 13 players during the 1959 tour and many times more than once.

Traditionally, every Indian Olympic team plays against the Madras State hockey team before leaving their shores and most often than not have been beaten.

May be the South Indians feel more players from this region should have been selected, hence they play out of their skin to prove this point. However, this time they lost 0-2.

At 42 Claudius was the first Anglo-Indian to captain an Olympic team. He has the rare honour of playing in four Olympics from 1948. The Olympic Games were not held in 1940 and 1944.

For Uoam Singh and RS Bhola it was their third and second Olympics respectively.

The rankings after the 1956 Olympics were: 1 India, 2 Pakistan, 3 Germany, 4 Great Britain, 5 Australia, 6 New Zealand, 7 Belgium, 8 Singapore, 9 Malaysia,10 Kenya, 11 United States, 12 Afghanistan

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