In the history of the Olympics, Indian hockey has a long and illustrious history. India's hockey team is the most successful team in Olympic history, with eight gold medals. Since 1980, India has not won a single medal in hockey. The International Hockey Federation accepted India as the first non-European team. They are also the only team to win the Olympics twice, in 1928 and 1956, without allowing a single goal. In the years 1966, 1998, and 2014, they won the Asian Games three times. India won the Asia Cup three times: in 2003, 2007, and 2017. India has won 40 of the 53 matches in the Asia Cup, the most of any nation.
The Indian men's team enters the field as one of the favorites, 41 years after their last medal. Manpreet Singh's team is hoping to end the team's title drought in Tokyo. Australia, Argentina, India, Spain, New Zealand, and Spain makes up the group with India. Each group's top four teams will advance to the quarterfinals. The league phase will take place from July 24 to July 30, with the quarterfinals and semifinals taking place on August 1 and 3, respectively. We take a look at the Indian Hockey Team's success at the Olympics so far, as they have a long history in the sport.
Golden Era (1928-64)
Following the creation of the Indian Hockey Federation, India chose to send a team to the 1928 Olympics. India never participated in the Olympics before that. After then, India went on to win the entire championship. India won their group without surrendering a single goal, defeating Austria 6–0, Belgium 9–0, and Switzerland 5–0. Under the captaincy of Jaipal Singh Munda, defeated the Netherlands 3–0 in the final. India subsequently went on to retain their championship at the 1932 Olympics, defeating Japan 11–1 and the United States 24–1. In the match, Dhyan Chand scored eight goals and Roop Singh ten. Even after all these years, this remains the biggest margin of victory in Olympic history.
India won its third consecutive Olympic gold medal in 1936, this time under the leadership of famous player Dhyan Chand. The team went on to compete in the final against Germany. India won the match 8–1; it was the only goal India conceded throughout the game, and it also holds the record for the largest winning margin in the final. India was placed in Group A for the 1948 Olympics and won all three games, defeating Austria 8–0, Argentina 9–1, and Spain 2–0. In the final, India was pitted against the United Kingdom. The match ended in a 4–0 victory for India. The victory was a pleasant one for India, which had just recently gained independence from the United Kingdom.
India went on to win two more gold medals in the Olympics in 1952 and 1956, maintaining its position as the most successful and dominant team in the world at the time. India defeated Pakistan 1–0 in the 1956 Olympics final, igniting the sport's most storied rivalry. India defeated Australia and the United Kingdom in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the 1960 Olympics, respectively. It marked the start of a new era in the final, when India lost a match in the Olympics for the first time, losing 0–1 to Pakistan in the final, ending India's streak of six consecutive gold medals and a 30-match unbeaten run. In the 1964 Olympics, India performed admirably, winning games against Hong Kong, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malaysia, and Canada while drawing with Spain and Germany. They won their 7th gold medal in the games by defeating Pakistan in the final, and they went on to win the gold medal at the 1966 Asian Games by defeating Pakistan once more.
Last years of India’s Golden period (1968-80)
India began the 1968 Olympics with a loss against New Zealand, but went on to win all of their next six games against West Germany, Japan, Spain, Mexico, East Germany, and Belgium. However, they were defeated in the semi-final by Australia for the first time, and they were forced to play in the bronze medal match, which they won by defeating West Germany. The same thing happened in the 1972 Olympics. In the semi-finals, they were defeated by Pakistan. India won the bronze medal in the third-place match, defeating the Netherlands. India earned bronze at the 1971 World Cup, a year before 1972 Olympics.
When the Astro-turf hockey pitch was adopted at 1976 Olympics, India struggled to retain their supremacy as they had on grass fields, and they came home empty-handed for the first time ever. 1980 Olympics were held in Moscow, where India began their campaign with an 18–0 victory over Tanzania, followed by a 2–2 draw with Poland and Spain, a 13–0 victory over Cuba, and a 4–2 victory against the Soviet Union. India went on to win the gold medal for the record eighth time, defeating Spain 4–3 in the final.
Sharp decline (1984-)
India has not won a single gold medal in hockey since 1980. India's hockey team finished last in a field of 12 at the 2012 London Olympics. This is due to a variety of factors. But the betrayal of the country's national sport by those elected to protect it, as well as the brutal duplicity of European and Australasian hockey officials are a major factor. However, they remained a strong squad in Asia, winning multiple medals in continental competitions. At the 1998 Asian Games, India defeated South Korea to win their first continental title in 32 years. India won the Asia Cup for the first time in 2003. In 2007, the team was ranked 12th in the FIH World Rankings, their lowest ever. The national team reached the final at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which were once again hosted by India, but were crushed 0–8 by Australia in the final, the largest defeat India has ever suffered. The team finished last at the 2012 Olympics after losing all of their matches, which was surprising given that they were the most successful team in Olympic history.
When the squad defeated Pakistan to capture their third gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games, it was a watershed moment. The team advanced to the finals of the 2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy but lost in a penalty shootout to Australia. However, in 2016, he won the Asian Champions Trophy by defeating Pakistan, and in 2017, they won the Asia Cup by defeating Malaysia. India also made it to the Olympic knockout stages for the first time since 1980 but lost to Belgium at the 2016 Games. On July 24, India will face New Zealand in a Pool A match, kicking off their Tokyo 2020 campaign and quest for Olympic gold.
