A trendy sport in India, hockey dates back to the 16th century and has been played since the 18th. The British created the first contemporary version in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In India, children and young people began to take an interest in hockey, and in 1855, the first Indian Hockey club was established in Calcutta. A year after the International Hockey Federation (FIH) was established, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was also established.
Dominating the Olympics
With 14 goals by Dhyan Chand, the Indian hockey team won its first gold medal in the Olympics in 1928. The team completed a hat-trick of Olympic hockey golds in 1932 and 1936 with two more gold medals. In 1936, Chand served as captain during his last Olympic Games. India discovered a fresh talent in Balbir Singh Sr. during World War II, who helped the country win three more gold medals at the Olympics in 1948, 1952, and 1956.
This was an important time in Indian hockey history. India reclaimed the top spot in the sport in Tokyo in 1964, but their supremacy was waning. At the Asian Games in 1958, 1962, and 1966, the squad took home silver and gold, respectively. India’s best result in Mexico was a bronze.
1980s-2008: A period of stagnation
- Indian hockey teams experienced success in the 1980s; the women’s team placed fourth in the first women’s hockey Olympic competition, while the men’s team won their eighth gold medal in Moscow in 1980.
- The women’s team earned a historic gold at home at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, while the men’s team took home silver.
- After this time, though, the Indian hockey teams struggled at international competitions; neither the women’s nor the men’s teams advanced past the semifinals of the Champions Trophy or the World Cup.
- Although Dhanraj Pillay’s 1989 debut brought hockey back to life, he could not lead the Indian hockey team to unprecedented success. Even after capturing silver at the Asian Games in 1998, women still faced challenges on a worldwide scale.
- In 1998, hockey was included in the Commonwealth Games, giving the global sport further exposure.
- The Indian men’s and women’s teams participated in the 1998 tournament and placed fourth overall.
- The Indian women’s hockey team won bronze in the 2006 Asian Games, silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and gold at the 2006 Asian Games.
- The men’s team’s 2008 failure to make it to the Olympics in Beijing was the pinnacle of Indian hockey’s downfall, which began in 1928.
Revival of Indian hockey
- Since 2008, Indian hockey has advanced significantly; in the 2010 Asian and Commonwealth Games, the men’s team took home silver and bronze.
- They also made it to Rio 2016 and the London 2012 Olympics. The women’s team, captained by Rani Rampal, placed ninth in the world at its peak after winning silver at the 2018 Asian Games.
- Under the leadership of teenage captain Manpreet Singh and new head coach Graham Reid, the men’s squad has embraced an offensive mentality. The men’s squad participated in their inaugural FIH Pro League season in 2020, winning matches against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Australia.
- The women’s team finished fourth in Tokyo 2020, only missing out on the bronze medal to Great Britain. The men’s team took home a bronze. The women from India also triumphed spectacularly over Australia in the quarterfinals.
- India took home silver and bronze in the men’s and women’s competitions at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The men’s team took home the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games, while the women’s team took home the bronze.
- Indian hockey has the opportunity to recover its glory as both teams are strong competitors on the international front.
Conclusion
In India, hockey has been played since the 18th century and has a rich history stretching back to the 16th. The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was founded in 1867, and the first club was founded in Calcutta in 1855. After winning its first gold medal at the Olympics in 1928, India experienced a period of inactivity in the 1980s and 2008.
