Guru Dutt Sondhi

Who was Guru Dutt Sondhi?

Guru Dutt Sondhi was the founder of the Asian Games Federation.

Despite initial setbacks it was formed on February 13, 1949 in New Delhi, where the delegates drafted a constitution. They decided to hold the Asian Games every four years, midway between the Olympic Games, and also agreed on the simple motto which was designed and proposed by G.S. Sondhi "Ever Onward" on top of an Orange Sun that represents the ever glimmering and warm spirit of the Asian people.

The idea for Asian sports was reborn during the Asian Relations Conference held under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru soon after India's Independence. The idea was translated into reality during the 1948 London Olympic Games when India’s Guru Dutt Sondhi, a former Principal of the Lahore government college and Vergas, called a six-nation meeting to form the Asian Games Federation. Following this, the AGF was formalised at Delhi’s Patiala House on February 12–13, 1949, and a draft constitution was accepted. The five charter members forming the federation were Afghanistan, Burma, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.