Hockey
What will it take to end India's Olympic hockey medal drought?
Much like England's lack of an international football title since 1966, or Canada's 33 years between world ice hockey championships from 1961-94, India's 41-year drought without an Olympic hockey medal is the cause of much pain among the faithful.
Indian Hockey Men Team (Source: Hockey India)
Hockey has been part of the program at the Summer Olympic Games since 1980. Over the decades, no country has displayed greater dominance than India. The country has won more gold medals (eight) and overall total medals (11) than any other nation.
Between 1928-80, India won a medal at 11 of 12 Summer Olympiads. That run of success included six straight gold medals between 1928-56. The 1976 Summer Games in Montreal marked the only time over that stretch in which India did not advance to the medal round.
"Indian Olympic Hockey" by The Bridge is licensed under CC BY 3.0
However, that is all ancient history. Since a gold medal triumph at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games, India has never finished better than fourth in Olympic hockey. That isn't expected to change this summer in Tokyo. As the Olympic hockey tournament gets underway, India is the fifth choice in the Olympics betting odds to win the gold medal at a betting line of +700.
The last time the Summer Games were held in Tokyo in 1964, India defeated reigning Olympic gold medallists Pakistan 1-0 in the gold medal match.
India is currently situated No. 4 in the world in the FIH rankings. India's coach Graham Reid believes his side is certainly in with a real opportunity at a medal in Tokyo.
​​"There is definitely a chance if we play well and if we play where we need to," Reid told FieldHockey.com. "In the men's competition any 10-12 teams currently can beat each other on a particular day."
Belgians The Favorites
It's Belgium that is being listed as the country to beat in Olympic hockey but that seems to be a choice that's being made with a recency bias. When it comes to status as a world hockey power, the Belgians are Johnny Come Latelys. From 1980-2004, Belgium didn't even qualify for the Olympic hockey tournament.
Belgium finished ninth at Beijing in 2008 and fifth at London in 2012 before picking up the silver medal five years ago in Rio de Janeiro. Belgium was toppled 4-2 by Argentina in the gold medal match.
Three years ago in Bhubaneswar, India, Belgium worked penalties to defeat the Netherlands 3-2 in the gold medal match at the World Cup. The match was scoreless up until the penalty shootout.
However, in the lead-up to the Olympic Games, the Belgians have lost three of their past six matches.
Are Australians Overrated?
It is Australia that is currently rated No. 1 in the FIH world rankings but they only rate second chance in the betting line to capture the gold medal in Tokyo. It could be that the oddsmakers are a bit suspicious when it comes to the quality of the Aussie side.
Australia arrived in Tokyo riding a four-match winning streak. However, three of those wins were against world No. 8 New Zealand. Against countries other than New Zealand, the Australians were just 4-3 over their last seven matches. That includes a 4-3 victory over India in that span.
The Aussies finished a disappointing sixth at the Rio de Janeiro Olympiad. Their only hockey gold medal was earned at Athens in 2004.
"Australian Olympic Hockey" by Olympics is licensed under CC BY 3.0
India Tuning Up
After three days of quarantine upon arriving in Tokyo, India contested a practice match against Germany, dropping a 3-2 decision. India's goals were tallied by captain Mandeep Singh, about to play in his third Olympics, and Dilipreet Singh.
Following the match, the two sides contested a six-shot penalty shootout. India won 5-4.
For India, Nilakanta Sharma, Lalit Upadhyay, Rupinder Pal Singh, Vivek Prasad and Mandeep Singh scored on their penalties. Harmanpreet Singh missed his penalty chance.
Might Pandemic Prove A Rallying Point For The Side?
India's manager Graham Reid believes that the rough tide that the country has gone through due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also significantly impacted his team, has made his players aware of a mental toughness they possess that they'd never previously been required to tap into, and he thinks that can help his side on he pitch.
"I think it's probably one of the most important things right now," Reid told FieldHockey.com. "We had a pretty tough 16 months. No one has been spared from quarantine. It's unprecedented but I am very pleased and happy how this group has handled things in the last 15-16 months."
