Sandeep Singh
Sandeep Singh (born 27 February 1986) is a former Indian field hockey player from Haryana, distinguished for his expertise as a drag-flick specialist and former captain of the national team.[1][2]
In 2006, an accidental gunshot from a fellow player's firearm severely damaged his spine, rendering him temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and confining him to a wheelchair for over a year, yet he achieved a full recovery through rigorous rehabilitation and returned to competitive play.[3][4]
Singh debuted as India's youngest Olympian in field hockey at the 2004 Athens Games at age 18, topped the scoring charts with 10 goals at the 2005 Junior World Cup, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and contributed to a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, earning the Arjuna Award for his contributions to the sport.[1][5][3]
Post-retirement, he joined the Haryana Police as a Deputy Superintendent and briefly served as the state's Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, a position from which he resigned following accusations of sexual harassment and molestation by a junior athletics coach, resulting in formal charges in 2024.[6][7][8][9]