Hockey & India

Hockey is one of the oldest sports in the world, hockey is older than the Olympic Games. Hockey has been played from Arabic, Greek, Romans, and Persian to Ethiopian, but very few countries have found a proper place for hockey. At the same time, many people also liked to play hockey for their entertainment. However, hockey was played with many changes in many ancient civilizations. Whereas the game of hockey developed mainly in the 19th century in the British deity. The credit for the expansion of this game in India mainly goes to the British Army.

The hockey game was played for the first time at the Olympics in London on 29 October 1908, at which time there were 6 teams. In 1924, due to international reasons, this sport could not participate in the Olympics. In 1924, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) was formed, and three years later, the International Federation of Women was formed.
The game of hockey was first played in India in Asia. India did not get a chance to play in the first two Asian Games, but in the third Asian Games, India got this opportunity for the first time. During this time, Indian players also earned a lot of names and won by playing well in international matches in hockey. India has won 8 gold, 1, and two bronze medals in the Olympics so far.

At the same time, Indian players started their successful Olympic Games in Amsterdam in 1928, where they won a gold medal in hockey. It was a brilliant Indian hockey player named after Dhyanchand. Dhyanchand, a hockey wizard, had mesmerized all Indians with his hockey skills in front of the Amsterdam crowd and set a new record in front of the whole world.

Hockey is a very good and entertaining sport as well as the national game of India. But gradually its importance is becoming less. Which needs attention. Today's youth need to be motivated to promote this sport. So that the dignity of Indian hockey can be maintained. Along with this, financial assistance should also be provided by the government for the convenience of hockey players. So that once again the golden era of hockey can come.

By: Akshit Sharma

Content- https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/indian-field-hockey-history-legacy-olympics-world-cup-dhyan-chand-balbir/