Overview

Billimoga Puttaswamy Govinda (born 4 March 1951 in Somwarpet, Coorg State) was an Indian professional field hockey player and the former captain of the Indian team.

Career

Govinda was considered as one of the fastest hockey players during his time and was known for his ball shooting ability. He played for India in the three Asian Games: 1970, 1974 and 1978 with India finishing second in all the three of them. He also played in the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich, 1973 World Cup in Amsterdam, 1975 World Cup at Kuala Lumpur which India won beating Pakistan 2-1 in the Finals and at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

In 1972, Govinda was selected for the World XI team. He was awarded the Arjuna Award for his contribution to Indian hockey.

He then took up the role of the selector for the national hockey team.