Fauja Singh: Inspiring Youngsters

“ I love to find myself running in my own city,” says a beaming and yet nostalgic Fauja Singh, the oldest marathon runner and a World Record holder.

The 94-year-old Fauja Singh was here to participate in the ‘Celebrity fun race,’ a half marathon organized by the CT Educational Society at the Burlton Park statdium here. UK-based Fauja Singh, an ikon for Sikh identity in Europe, is also the brand ambassador of Adidas shoe and apparel company.
“ I am happy that I am running in my own city for the first time. I hail from Beas village of Jalandhar district. Losing or winning does not matter in such events as people get involved and motivated to see others running. A point comes where they want to do the same and if you have attained that point you have won,” a says Fauja Singh while recalling his early days at his village.
In a special message for youngsters, Fauja Singh said all out efforts were needed to drive them out of quagmire of vices like drug addiction. “Such events play a vital role in doing a yeoman’s service in this regard. As for myself, I have been keeping a strict regimen for years. I have to walk 8-10 kilometers a day at any cost. Every 8th day I go for a marathon to keep myself as fit as a fiddle." He has never been beaten by any veteran, except once, and that too years back and by someone thirty years his junior. "Even today I am running without any practice and it is for the first time in my life that I am doing so at the insistence of the organizers, who wanted to see me here come what may.”

The CT Half Marathon 2007 was the first half marathon in Punjab, was organized for charity.


Singh began running long distances in 2000. He lined up for his first Flora London Marathon at the grand old age of 89, taking 6 hours and 54 minutes to complete the 26.2-mile course. A year later, he ran the same time to set a world record for anyone aged 90. Singh has also competed in the Toronto and New York marathons and, in 2003, he finished the Toronto run in 5 hours and 40 minutes, the fastest time recorded by someone of his age.

Fauja Singh's inspirational achievements made him Adidas poster boy for its influential "Impossible Is Nothing" campaign. He has done a lot of charity work all the money he received from the Adidas advertising campaign was given to charity and he ran the London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation and Bliss, a premature baby charity. "I think that it is a good thing for the oldest runner in the race to run for the youngest people in our world," he said.




Fauja Singh was also among the prominent personalities chosen to carry the Olympic torch across the streets of London.

Aged 94, he can't stop breaking world records. In the senior category, he not only set a new 200m title, but halved it from 76.8 seconds to a mere 49.28 seconds.

He has also set the UK record for the 400 meters, 800m, 1 mile, and 3000m.

When France decided to enforce secularism denying individuals their religious identity, they denied Sikhs the turban, the
Muslims their hijab and other people of faith their symbols. Fauja Singh did not sit by and watch. “To us the turban is very important, and Fauja Singh wears a turban. He’s set world records and other things wearing a turban." said Harmander Singh, Fauja’s trainer.

Fauja Singh named his records the ‘Turban records’, in protest against France’s ban on religious symbols and headgear to promote human rights and freedom.

Islanders' Simon suspended for balance of regular season and Playoffs

NEW YORK - New York Islanders forward Chris Simon has been suspended, for the remainder of the 2006-07 regular season and the entirety of the Stanley Cup playoffs, for deliberately using his stick to injure New York Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg during the third period of Thursday night's game at Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum.Simon is suspended a minimum of 25 games, including Saturday night's game against Washington plus the 14 that remain in the 2006-07 regular season. If the Islanders do not qualify for the 2007 playoffs, or play fewer than 10 playoff games in the 2007 playoffs, Simon would serve additional games at the start of the 2007-08 regular season to satisfy the minimum term of the suspension."The National Hockey League will not accept the use of a stick in the manner and fashion in which Mr. Simon used his Thursday night," said Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. "As a consequence of his actions, Mr. Simon has forfeited the privilege of playing in an NHL game again this season, regardless of how many games the Islanders ultimately play." Based on his $1-million contract, which expires at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season, Simon forfeits a minimum of $80,213.90. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.The incident occurred at 13:29 of the third period. After receiving a hard check from Hollweg, Simon swung his stick and delivered a two-handed blow to Hollweg's upper body, causing a cut on Hollweg's chin. Simon was assessed a Match penalty.

Yuba City Police Chief Apologizes to Sikh American Denied Employment

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation's oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, received a formal letter of apology from Yuba City Police Chief Robert Doscher for denying employment to Mr. Harvir Singh Uppal as he sought to become a police cadet. Mr. Uppal, a 19 year old student and adherent of the Sikh faith, was interviewed by Officer Kim Slade, Director of the Yuba City Police Department Cadet Program, for a position as a cadet. A week later, Mr. Uppal contacted Officer Slade to check the status of his application at which time he was informed upon conferring with the Chief of Police and the City Attorney that, "though the turban was 'acceptable, the beard does not conform to the uniform standards of the police department and it would have to be shaved off". SALDEF contacted Yuba City Police Chief Doscher and Mayor John Miller informing them of the discriminatory nature of this policy and recommended the necessary steps to remedy the situation quickly and to the satisfaction of Mr. Uppal. In a letter of apology to SALDEF, Chief Doscher noted, “We [Yuba City Police Department] have no policy which precludes an employee of the Sikh faith from wearing a turban or beard (or possession of a kirpan) during their employment with us.” He added, “Please accept this as an unintentional oversight by one of my staff officers, which I take responsibility for. I can assure you that as of this writing, there is no misunderstanding any longer.” SALDEF thanks Yuba City Police Chief Robert Doscher for his immediate attention to this matter and reaffirming his department's policy of encouraging religious diversity. SALDEF urges police departments across the nation to follow Chief Doscher's example of welcoming individuals of faith to serve their communities without having to compromise their religious practices. Additionally, SALDEF commends the courage of Mr. Harvir Singh Uppal for asserting his rights as an American citizen. . If you, or anyone you know, believe they have been the victim of workplace or employment discrimination, please report it at http://www.saldef.org/reportform.aspx or contact SALDEF immediately at 202-393-2700 or info@saldef.org.

Man charged with attempted murder of Sikh is "incompetent to stand trial"

A Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge ruled that Everett Thompson, who is charged with attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement, is incompetent to stand trial at this time.Prosecutor Peter Waite said that Thompson, who was 20 when he stabbed a Sikh neighbor in the neck, will return to Judge Jerome E. Brock's court April 6 for a placement hearing. Waite expects Thompson, a Santa Clara resident, to be sent to a state mental hospital. Once hospital staff determine Thompson has regained competency, Waite said, the district attorney's office will prosecute him. Waite added that Thompson could again challenge his competency to stand trial, meaning the court would again make the determination."It's a decision I disagreed with because I felt Mr. Thompson is competent to stand trial," Waite said. "But that's not my decision to make."Thompson's attorney, Carlyle Glenfield Varlack Jr., called the decision "the correct thing to do"On July 30, 40-year-old Iqubal Singh, was standing in his carport with his 2-year-old granddaughter at 10:50 a.m. waiting for other family members before leaving for worship services. Thompson who was Singh's neighbor, approached him and in front of the granddaughter and in plain view stabbed him in the neck. Thompson alleged he believed Singh was a member of the Taliban. Not only was Singh not a member of the Taliban, he was a member of an entirely different faith to Islam. As a practising Sikh, it was compulsory for him to keep his hair unshorn and in a turban. This hate crime sent shockwaves through the Sikh community which was targeted with hate crimes across the western world in the aftermath of 9/11 purely due ignorance in wider Society of their appearance and their faith.