'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
An illustrious history
The sport of hockey has been a source of great joy and pride to Indians since as long back as we can remember. This one sport has always managed to unify this diverse country and has been an inspiration to the entire sporting community of the nation. Before being eclipsed somewhat by cricket in popularity, Indian hockey with its rich legacy and medals-laden history was every child’s dream to wield a stick in the country colours.
The Indian Men’s Hockey Team has been the most successful squad in the Olympics in terms of Gold Medals, notching up 8 pieces of the coveted yellow metal over the years, starting with the first one in the 1928 Amsterdam Games.
Also Read: Remembering 'Puneri Toofan' Dhanraj Pillay on his birthday
Although the era of Dhyan Chand and Leslie Claudius is sadly over, we still have enough reasons to hope from our boys in blue in the upcoming Rio Games. Our Golden Girls of Hockey are never too far behind, having qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games for the first time since 1980.
Here we take a look at the performance of Indian Hockey at the last five games:
1996 Atlanta Games
The qualifying tournament for the Atlanta Games was staged in Barcelona which saw one of the better performances put in by the lads. Up against big powers like the Dutch, the Brits and the Spanish, not did the Indian team remain unbeaten, but managed to thrash the Dutch 4-1, qualifying for the main games in the process with a few games to spare.
Hoping to continue in the same vein, India lost only to Argentina in the group stage, beating Korea, USA and eventual silver medalists Spain, and drawing to Germany and Pakistan. But the run ended in heartbreak as India failed to qualify for the medal round.
The Atlanta Games are still remembered lovingly in the Indian sports history, if not for hockey, but for Leander Paes’ individual Bronze Medal in Tennis.
2000 Sydney Games
The 2000 Sydney Games started on a high with a lot of expectations from the boys in blue. There was great team spirit and camaraderie among the players and it was a perfect mix of youth with experience. In the league stage, India lost only to South Korea 2-0, and were only required to hold off Poland with their one-goal advantage in the final match of the group stage to qualify for the medal round.
However, a decisive goal in the last minute drew the game sending Korea into qualification ahead of India based on their better head-to-head record, although they were level on points and goals.
2004 Athens Games
The general populace of the county has come to expect a certain high standard of performance from the Hockey squad due to the rich history and here begins the era of the Indian Team completely letting down their fans in terms of performance at the Olympics.
Of their 5 matches in the group stage, India lost 3, winning only to minnows South Africa and drawing against Argentina. As a result, they finished a lowly 7th and failed to qualify for the medal round yet again.
Yet we must remember the 2004 Athens games for Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s individual Silver in trap shooting, which placed the dream of an individual Olympic Gold in the mind of the public and sportspeople alike, for the first time.
2008 Beijing Games
This was the lowest point in the history of Indian Hockey as the National Team failed to qualify at all for the main round for the first and only time in the era of the modern Olympic Games. Such a tragedy created quite a furore in the hockey, and in general, sports fraternity as a whole.
The catastrophic performance was followed by an overhaul in management and administration at the highest levels. It left the fans with a sour taste in the mouth. The only consolation of Beijing – Bindra’s history-making individual Gold at the 10m Air Rifle Shooting event.
2012 London Games
The latest instalment was no better than the previous one with India struggling to qualify through the round-about qualification stage instead of as continental champions, as is usually expected of the team. In the main rounds, India lost all the 5 matches in the league stage with a combined goal difference of -12.
It was another repetition of India’s dismal performance at the Olympics over the last decade. The sheen and glory seemed to have temporarily left the team. Once world-beaters, the Indian Team continues to languish towards the bottom of the top 10 in the world rankings nowadays.
But as they say, when you are down and out, the only way to go is up. Let’s keep our finger’s crossed for a hopefully better performance from the lads and ladies in Blue this time around. Lots of vocal and moral support is what will keep them going towards victory.
