Vast difference in Olympic experience at Men’s tournament in Delhi

(Photo: FIH / Stanislas Brochier)

The six participants in the Hero FIH Road to London tournament in Delhi (February 18 to 26) have a vast array of Olympic experience: while host team India can boast an impressive collection of Olympic medals, France have participated in nine Games, but not any more since 1972, Canada and Poland have respectively played in six and five Games, but always with modest results, while Italy and Singapore have been away from the Olympic competition for more than fifty years.

At the top of the list is of course India, with 18 participations. They did not qualify for the 2008 Games in Beijing but had previously participated in every Olympic Games since their first appearance at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. India collected a record 8 Gold Medals, with an uninterrupted series of 6 victories between 1928 and 1956. They have also won 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals, but their last honours were back in 1980 in Moscow, when the competition was marred by the boycott of most top hockey teams.

India participated 4 times in an Olympic Qualifier, earning their qualification for the big show 3 times (1991, 1995 and 2004) but failed in dramatic fashion vs. Great-Britain in the 2008 Olympic Qualifier in Santiago, Chile.

France participated in 9 Olympic Games, mostly in the earlier competitions and always with modest results. Their best finish was 4th in 1936 in Berlin. Their last participation was in 1972 in Munich. One of the stalwarts of the French team at the time was Gilles VERRIER; his son Frederic is now one of the veterans of the French team at this Olympic Qualifier in Delhi.

France participated twice in an Olympic Qualifier (1991 and 2008) but were unsuccessful both times.

Canada participated in 6 Olympic Games, with regular appearances since their first participation in 1964 in Tokyo. They have however never finished higher than 10th, a standings that they reached in 1976 in Montreal, in 1984 in Los Angeles, in 2000 in Sydney and again in 2008 in Beijing.

Canada participated three times in an Olympic Qualifier (1991, 1995 and 2004) but were never successful to earn their Olympic berth this way.

Poland participated in 5 Olympic Games, but only once in the last seven competitions, when they finished at the bottom of the standings in 2000 in Sydney. They earned this 2000 Olympic berth through a Qualifier but were unsuccessful in their two other attempts (2004 and 2008).

Italy participated twice in the Olympic Games, but the last time was at home in Rome in 1960 when they finished 13th (out of 16 teams). Singapore appeared only once in an Olympic competition, in 1956 in Melbourne.

The current format of the Olympic Qualifier is ruthless, with only one team earning a berth for London while the other five squads will go home with shattered Olympic dreams.