International hockey player and Olympian Dr A.B. Subbaiah, one of Kodagu’s distinguished sporting personalities, has been honoured with the Kannada Rajyotsava Award.
Born in Madikeri, Anjaparvanda Bopayya Subbaiah developed an interest in hockey at an early age and displayed his talent while studying at St Michael’s School in the town. He later trained at the Sports Authority of India hostel in Bengaluru, marking an important step in his sporting career.
Subbaiah represented India in hockey from 1988 to 1998 and played more than 285 international matches. He represented the country at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and was part of the Indian team at the 1994 Hockey World Cup.
He was also a member of the Indian teams that won silver medals at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing and the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, and the team that won gold at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.
His achievements have been recognised with several honours, including the Arjuna Award in 1997, the Ekalavya Award in 2003 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Karnataka Olympic Association in 2010.
Mangalore University also conferred an honorary doctorate on him in recognition of his contributions to sport and social service.
Beyond his playing career, Subbaiah has contributed to hockey as a coach, selector, administrator and umpire. Drawing on decades of experience, he now mentors young athletes.
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