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INDIA brought in the biggest-ever medal haul from the London Olympics but the game in which the nation was expected to do well in hockey was a total wipeout. After India qualified for the Olympics after a gap of eight years, hopes and hype were high. But due to patriotism team's actual potential was overlooked. The eight-times champions lost all six matches they played on London's new blue and pink synthetic surface. The last time, India won an Olympic match was at the classification game for seventh and eighth position against South Korea in Athens on August 27, 2004. India won 5-2 after leading 4-0 at the breather. Our next win, if it comes at all, will not be before the 2016 Rio Olympic Games provided we qualify. What went wrong with our hockey team despite putting a good show during the qualification games? No one could imagine that a team trained under an Australian coach, with abundance of international exposure, could get the wooden spoon, that too without even lodging a single point in an event that it had dominated since its debut in 1928. Between 1928 and 1980, it won eight gold, one silver and two bronze medals a record unprecedented in team events. But since the truncated 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, the greatest Indian wish for an Olympic hockey medal has remained unfulfilled. As a build-up to 2012 Olympic Games, India played host not only to the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi but also organised the Olympic qualifiers. Besides this, the team travelled extensively participating in various international competitions, including the pre-Olympic four-nation test event in London. As such the team, unlike the Montreal Olympic debacle in 1976, had no excuse about playing on a new blue-pink surface, as India had already played on the new surface in May and finished fourth and last. Montreal was different,
as India had no exposure of playing on synthetic surface till it
reached Canada for the 1976 edition of the games. It was there that
India returned home without an Olympic hockey medal for the first time
since 1928.
Expectations belied The present Indian team was on a high after a series of good performances at home, especially in the Olympic qualifier, and even in the Commonwealth Games. Hopes of India getting into top six were primarily pinned on the high-profile duo of Sardar Singh and Sandeep Singh. Sardar Singh had the distinction of featuring in the World XI nominated by the hockey journalists-FIH combine. Besides, he had been declared Man of the tournament in Ipoh in the last edition of Azlan Shah Cup. But none of the team players could live up to the expectations. It is surprising that the team, after a pre-Olympic tour of Europe, could not peak at the crucial time. Even after making a promising start against the more fancied, the Netherlands, it fell apart and suffered defeat after defeat. The team getting a vertical split after opening match defeat is nothing new for the Indian hockey team. It has a history starting with Mexico in 1968 when India lost to New Zealand and failed to qualify for the gold medal for the first time since 1928. Again in the 1986 World Cup in London, India had finished 12th and last, the team was vertically divided. Did it happen in London this time also? Putting on bench
mercurial forward Sarwanjit Singh to make room for an inexperienced
Uthappa had caused heartburn. Even halfback Gurbaz Singh did not get a
fair deal during the mega event. Putting two goalkeepers in a squad of
16 was also a point of criticism. Many teams now have an extra
playmaker or attacker rather than wasting a berth on the reserve
goalkeeper. However, it would have been a different story, had these
moves worked. Unfortunately these did not.
Sandeep Singh could not deliver what was expected. An early goal against New Zealand was not all that was needed from him. Forwards Shivendra Singh, Tushar Khandekar and GS Chandi, also failed to deliver. Shivendra, too was off colour. These individual performances apart, the team exhibited many glaring deficiencies after the opening game defeat at the hands of the Netherlands. These included a total disjointed game with players failing miserably in stopping, hitting, trapping and interceptions. Marking of opponent players was conspicuous by its absence. Germany and the Netherlands were a treat to watch in displaying textbook hockey movers. Teams like Australia and even Belgium displayed vintage hockey. Sadly, both India and Pakistan are no more masters of the game that once they had been. After losing the first two games, the Indian players, perhaps, had lost their focus. At times, they were just going through the ritual of completing their engagements. India's worst performance was not against the Netherlands or Germany but it was against Belgium, Korea and South Africa. Infighting issues
Many subscribe to the thought that infighting in the national body had divided the players. Many players wanted to play in the World Series Hockey league for money. Unlike other sports, there is not much money in what was once our national game. These players, including Sandeep Singh and Sardar Singh, were dissuaded from continuing with the WSH league, promoted by the Indian Hockey Federation. Divided loyalties never work. London has been a big lesson. Silver lining for India came even before the Olympic hockey schedule was finalised. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) named India as one of the participants in the ensuing edition of Champions Trophy to be held in Melbourne in December. Besides Olympic champions Germany, England and New Zealand are in same pool as India. Traditionally, only top five (now seven) teams of the World based on their performance in the Olympic Games and the World Cup Hockey besides the host team, play in the elite Champions Trophy. But now the money-conscious FIH does not want to lose the Indian hen that lays golden eggs. But from London via Melbourne where will Indian hockey go, only time will tell, as Rio is still four years away. Game of injuries
Among those injured was India's young star Manpreet Singh, who received a nasty cut on his head during the play-off game for 11th and 12th position against South Africa. Had he been hit a little lower, it could have been life threatening, says Shiv Jagday, former national coach of both Canada and the US and now an International Hockey Federation (FIH) coach. Jagday feels that coaches have to be more particular in imparting tackling skills to players. Another serious injury recorded during India's pool match was to Jong Bok Cha of South Korea, who got a massive blow from a hockey stick on his face while tackling Tushar Khandekar. In women's final, Mariela Scarone of Argentina got a nasty hit while tackling Ellen Hogg of the Netherlands. During the semi-finals, Kathy Glyn, centre forward of New Zealand, was hit on her left hand while tackling Carlen Henvel of the Netherlands. The worst of all injuries was received by captain of the home team, Kate Walsh, who had her jaw fractured during the game against Japan. "These injuries should not have occurred," says Jagday. "Ignorance is no excuse, especially when the matches are being played during the Olympics." Great Britain and India Not many would be aware that when hockey was introduced in the 1908 Olympic games, only four teams all from Great Britain participated and England won the gold medal defeating Ireland 8-1 in the final. All these teams played under the banner of Great Britain. In 1920, Great Britain beat Denmark 5-1 to win its second successive Olympic gold medal. However, in 1928, when India decided to send its team to the Olympic Games, defending champions Great Britain withdrew from the competition. Instead, many players of British-origin represented India. And India made a golden debut. Great Britain did not play in Olympic Games even in the 1932 and 1936 editions giving India chance to complete a hat-trick of gold medal triumphs. In 1948, Great Britain once again participated in hockey in the London Olympic Games. The hockey team from independent India that had won gold medal in 1928, 1932 and 1936 and teams from Pakistan and Great Britain were also in the run. Nationalities of many members of Indian teams in 1928, 1932 and 1935 were either originally or subsequently of Great Britain, India and Pakistan. It was only poetic justice that India beat Great Britain 4-0 in the final for its fourth consecutive gold medal. Now 64 years later when the Olympic Games returned to London, Great Britain finished fourth, Pakistan seventh and India 12th.
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Blame it on the politics
of the Indian hockey body that administers the sport in the country or
a foreign coach or even our own players, but the end result was the
worst-ever Olympic participation making many wonder whether qualifying
for this event was worth or if were we better in watching it from the
sidelines as we did in Beijing four years ago.
The hockey competition
of the 2012 London Olympic Games witnessed unprecedented increase in
serious injuries to players.