Hockey medals won by India at Asian Games

Men's hockey has been a permanent roaster of the Asian Games since the 1958 edition in Tokyo. The women's competition was included much later in the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi.

The Pakistani men’s hockey team is the most successful side in Asian Games history with eight gold medals in 16 editions, while South Korea won the women's title five times in ten editions.

India has won three gold medals (1966, 1998 and 2014), nine silver medals and three bronze medals.

The India–Pakistan hockey rivalry is among the most intense sporting rivalries in the world, and in the early years of the Asian Games, this was one of the biggest highlights across sports.

The two neighbours faced each other in the final seven straight times. The Pakistani side emerged as the dominant force by winning six of those seven finals. India managed to defeat Pakistan only twice in nine meetings to date.

With hockey’s popularity on the rise in Asia, Korea, Malaysia and Japan began challenging Pakistan in the late 1980s. Only four nations - Pakistan, India, South Korea and Japan - have won Asian Games gold medals in men’s hockey.

Women's team aims to end 41-year wait for gold

India's women's team won one gold (1982), two silver and three bronze at the Asian Games. The first four editions of women’s hockey events between 1982 and 1994 featured six teams each and were played in the round-robin format. The medals were given based on the standings on the points table. The Indian women’s hockey team became the champion in the inaugural edition in 1982 after remaining undefeated throughout the tournament. South Korea clinched a silver medal that year but went on to win the next four gold medals.

The next three editions saw China scripting a hat-trick of gold medals. South Korea, however, regained the title on home soil after defeating China by a solitary goal in the 2014 Asian Games final. It was Korea’s fifth gold. The Japanese women’s hockey team, like its men's team, won its maiden gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Indian hockey teams' performances at the Asian Games:

1958 ASIAN GAMES (One silver)

Hockey was a men's only event in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, with five teams participating in a round-robin competition. After ten matches, Pakistan was placed on top of the table due to a higher goal difference over India. Hence, Pakistan won the gold medal. India was the runner-up and won the silver medal, while South Korea got the bronze medal.

1962 ASIAN GAMES (One silver)

Nine teams played in the men's competition at the 1962 Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Pakistan won the gold medal for the second consecutive time by defeating India 2–0 in the final.

1966 ASIAN GAMES (One gold)

India won its first gold medal after defeating the two-time defending champion Pakistan 1–0 in the final at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, courtesy of an extra-time goal by Balbir Singh.

1970 ASIAN GAMES (One silver)

Only eight teams played at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, with Indonesia and South Korea withdrawing. India lost to Pakistan in the final by a solitary goal in extra time and settled for silver.

1974 ASIAN GAMES (One silver)

The field hockey event at the 1974 Asian Games was held in Tehran, Iran, with six teams participating in a round-robin competition. Since both Pakistan and India were tied on points, a play-off game was held to decide the winner. Pakistan overpowered India by two goals to win the gold medal.

1978 ASIAN GAMES (One silver)

Eight teams participated in the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. India won all three group matches and defeated Japan in the semifinal but lost to Pakistan in the final by one goal.

1982 ASIAN GAMES (One gold, one silver)

The 1982 Asian Games were held in New Delhi. Indian men’s hockey team settled for silver again by succumbing to Pakistan in the final and lost by a huge margin of seven goals. The Indian women's hockey team became the Asian Games champion on women's hockey debut at the continental showpiece event after remaining undefeated throughout the tournament, winning all five matches.

1986 ASIAN GAMES (Two bronze)

Indian men's hockey team failed to reach the final of the Asian Games for the first time in 1986 in Seongnam, South Korea. India lost to Pakistan in the semifinal 1-3 in extra time and later defeated Malaysia 4-1 in the bronze medal playoff. The women's team also settled for bronze with three wins against Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong, one draw against Japan and one loss against South Korea.

1990 ASIAN GAMES (One silver)

Both the men's and women's hockey tournaments at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing were played in the round-robin format. A total of 21 matches were played among seven teams and the Indian men's hockey team came second behind Pakistan. Indian women's team missed the podium by losing to South Korea, Japan and China.

1994 ASIAN GAMES (One silver )

Indian men's hockey team met with South Korea in the final of the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first time Pakistan could not reach the final. Indian men's team could not overcome the strong attack of South Korea and lost 2-3 to settle for silver. The women's team, on the other hand, finished fourth with just one win over Singapore.

1998 ASIAN GAMES (One gold, one silver)

Indian men's hockey team became champion at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok by defeating South Korea in the penalty shootout in the final. The first-ever women’s hockey final was played between South Korea and India here. The Koreans pipped India 2-1 to win its fourth successive title. Indian women's team grabbed silver after remaining empty-handed in the previous two editions.

2002 ASIAN GAMES (One silver)

The 2002 Asian Games were held in Busan, South Korea. The Indian team managed to defeat Pakistan 4-3 in the semifinal but lost to the host by an identical margin in the final. Indian women's team could not win a single match and finished last among four teams.

2006 ASIAN GAMES (One bronze)

Indian men's team missed the podium for the first time in the history of the Asian Games. The 2006 edition of the Asiad was held in Doha, Qatar. Loss to China and draw with South Korea in the group stage proved costly and the team could not make the semifinals. Indian women's team was placed fourth by winning three and losing as many matches in the group stage. They pulled off a surprise by defeating South Korea in the bronze medal match with the help of a brilliant goal by captain Mamta Kharb.

2010 ASIAN GAMES (One bronze)

The 2010 Asian Games were held in Guangzhou, China. The Indian men's team lost a close match against Malaysia in the semifinals but came back strongly to defeat South Korea by one goal in the bronze medal match. In contrast, the Indian women's team lost 0-1 in the bronze medal match to Japan.

2014 ASIAN GAMES (One gold, one bronze)

India and Pakistan faced each other again in the final at the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea. This time, India emerged victorious over Pakistan in the penalty shootout 4-2 with Akashdeep Singh, Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra and Dhramvir Singh converting their shots. The women's team managed to defeat Japan in the bronze medal playoff by two goals scored by Jaspreet Kaur and Vandana Katariya.

2018 ASIAN GAMES (One silver, one bronze)

A total of twelve men's and ten women's teams participated in the respective events at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Some matches were also held in Palembang. Defending champion India failing to make it to the final was a disaster as Malaysia defeated India in the semifinal 7-6 in sudden death. India bagged a consolation bronze medal beating Pakistan 2-1 in a keenly-contested match.

Indian women's team was undefeated during the group stage and managed to beat China 1-0 in the semifinals. But it went down 1-2 to Japan in the final, earning a well-deserved silver.