With India’s worst ever performance in Olympics at London 2012, probably it is time to accept that Indian Hockey is dying. India was the force in Olympics that every country wants to perform well. Since late 80s when India struggled to qualify, organizers started the qualification rounds. And since then India has reached Olympics only through qualifiers. Although in 2008 even that did not help when India missed the Olympic bus for the first-ever time. India’s staggering 435 goals and 75 wins with 8 Olympic Gold calls for attention and respect. At London in 1948, India on Gold. Which India will play in 2012 Olympics – pre-1980s one or the lame old Lion!!
Since 1928 only on two occasions India conceded more goals in an Olympics than it scored. But in 2012 it conceded goals in plenty and struggled to score in 5 matches of group stage.
Goals and Winning Stats
- More Loss than Win: 2012 (6 losses), 1988 (2 wins, 3 loss), and 2004 (2 wins, 4 losses)
1996 saw winning 2, losing 2 and drawing 3.
2012 saw India losing all games for the first time.
2012 saw India reaching the lowest rank ever (12).
India in Olympics Hockey
P=Played, W=Won, L=Loss, NR=Draw, GS=Goals Scored, GC=Goals conceded, Cap=Captain
| Year | Rank | P | W | L | NR | GS | GC | Cap |
| 1928 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | Jaipal Singh |
| 1932 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | Lal Shah Bokhari |
| 1936 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 | Dhyan Chand |
| 1948 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 2 | Kishan Lal |
| 1952 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | KD Singh ‘Babu’ |
| 1956 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | Balbir Singh Sr. |
| 1960 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | Leslie Cladius |
| 1964 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 5 | Charanjit Singh |
| 1968 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 7 | Prithipal and Gurbux |
| 1972 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 11 | Harmik Singh |
| 1976 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 13 | Ajitpal Singh |
| 1980 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 9 | V Baskaran |
| 1984 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 11 | Zafar Iqbal |
| 1988 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 15 | Somaya |
| 1992 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 12 | Pargat Singh |
| 1996 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 10 | Pargat Singh |
| 2000 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 10 | Ramandeep Singh |
| 2004 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 18 | Dilip Tirkey |
| 2012 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 21 | Chetri |
| 19 Oly | 8G,1s,2B | 120 | 75 | 29 | 16 | 423 | 151 | 18 |
Coach and Captain Facts
- Pargat Singh is the only player to captain in 2 Olympics.
Harbail Singh is the only person to be the coach for 2 Olympics (1952, 1956)
Captain and Coach: Kishan Lal (Captain 1948, Coach 1960), KD Singh ‘Babu’ (Captain 1952, Coach 1972), Gurbuz Singh (Captain 1968, Coach 1976), Baskaran (Captain 1980, Coach 2000)
Balkrishan Singh has been the coach four time (1968, 1980, 1984
and 1992)
Gerhard Rach is the first foreign coach of India at Olympics (2004).
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