Indian wrestling lost a mentor, says IOA chief

New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has mourned the death of wrestler-turned-actor Dara Singh, and said Indian wrestling has lost a guide and mentor.

IOA acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra, in a condolence message, said Dara Singh raised wrestling’s profile with his impeccable demeanour, both on and off the arena, and added glamour quotient to it.

“Indian wrestling in ’50s and ’60s was synonymous with Dara Singh and he gave a new dimension and direction to the sport which then it was confined only to rural India,” said Malhotra.

He said Dara Singh’s rise to the fame also attracted rural youths to the sport and gave them a sense of self-belief.

Dara Singh, 83, died at his residence in Mumbai early Thursday morning after a brief illness.