History of Hockey in India

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Introduced by British regiments, hockey thrived in India, and the national team's reign began with an Olympic gold in 1928. So here are some of the facts you should know.

1

British Influence (1880)

The arrival of British regiments in India club was established in Calcutta in 1885-86, followed by Bombay and Punjab.

2

National Associations (1908)

The Bengal Hockey Association was formed in 1908, becoming India's first official hockey body, in other regions like Bombay, Bihar, Orissa.

3

Golden Era Begins (1928)

This period marked India's dominance in international hockey. India's first Olympic gold medal came in 1928 at the Amsterdam Games.

4

Success (1928-1956)

This era witnessed India scoring  a phenomenal 178 goals while conceding only 7 in their winning streak of 24 matches.

5

Decline & Revival

After the 1960 Rome Olympics, where India lost to Pakistan in the finals, the team's performance dipped.

6

Infrastructure & Training

 The Indian government and Hockey India are constantly working towards improving infrastructure and training facilities.

7

Global Competition

The sport is seeing a rise in  technical finesse and competition from European and Asian countries.