That pinnacle of Indian hockey still makes news whenever the word Olympics is mentioned. India is the country which hold the record 8 gold medals and provide inspiration for other teams in this era. They also hold the record of winning 6 consecutive gold medals in Olympic from 1928 to 1956. However, in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, India were unable to win the gold medal, but they did manage to take home the bronze, ending their 41-year medal drought.
The highest ranking sport in Indian Olympic history is hockey. It’s also India’s national sport. India has so far taken home 12 medals in total, including 8 golds in hockey. In 1928, the Indian hockey team participated in their first Olympics. The 1908 and 1920 Games had hockey, although India did not take part.
The 1908 Olympic was held in London and England won the gold medal while Scotland and Wales won the Silver Medal and Bronze Medal respectively. The Great Britain again won the Gold Medal in 1920 Olympics. Talking about, the 1928 Olympics, when India won their first gold medal, there were only three spectators present but thousands of people stood to welcome the winning team when they returned to India after winning the gold medal.
In all, 9 teams took part in the Olympic hockey competition in 1928. Along with Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria, India was assigned to Group 'A'. At the same time, Group 'B' included the host nation's Netherlands, Germany, France, and Spain. While the second-place teams competed for the bronze medal, the top teams from both groups competed for the gold medal.
The next Olympic will take place in France in 2024 and India will aim to win their 9th Gold Medal after a gap of 44 years. However, the competition has now upgraded and it won’t be easy for them to top the charts. Belgium won the Gold Medal in 2020 Olympics while Austrlia managed to win the Silver Medal.
List of Olympic Medalists in Hockey from 1908 to Present:
Year | Venue | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
1908 | London | Great Britain | Great Britain | Great Britain |
1920 | Antwerp | Great Britain | Denmark | Belgium |
1928 | Amsterdam | India | Netherlands | Germany |
1932 | Los Angeles | India | Japan | United States |
1936 | Berlin | India | Germany | Netherlands |
1948 | London | India | Great Britain | Netherlands |
1952 | Helsinki | India | Netherlands | Great Britain |
1956 | Melbourne | India | Pakistan | United Team Of Germany |
1960 | Rome | Pakistan | India | Spain |
1964 | Tokyo | India | Pakistan | Australia |
1968 | Mexico City | Pakistan | Australia | India |
1972 | Munich | West Germany | Pakistan | India |
1976 | Montreal | New Zealand | Australia | Pakistan |
1980 | Moscow | India | Spain | Soviet Union |
1984 | Los Angeles | Pakistan | West Germany | Great Britain |
1988 | Seoul | Great Britain | West Germany | Netherlands |
1992 | Barcelona | Germany | Australia | Pakistan |
1996 | Atlanta | Netherlands | Spain | Australia |
2000 | Sydney | Netherlands | South Korea | Australia |
2004 | Athens | Australia | Netherlands | Germany |
2008 | Beijing | Germany | Spain | Australia |
2012 | London | Germany | Netherlands | Australia |
2016 | Rio de Janeiro | Argentina | Belgium | Germany |
2020 | Tokyo | Belgium | Australia | India |