new delhi, Oct 7
Hockey India on Tuesday unveiled a month-long campaign to mark the centenary celebrations of Indian hockey, which will culminate on November 7, a day that commemorates 100 years since the formation of the country’s first hockey administrative body in 1925. Three years after its establishment, India clinched its first Olympic gold medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Games, defeating the Netherlands in the final, a triumph that marked the beginning of a glorious chapter in world hockey. Between 1928 and 1959, India dominated the sport, winning six consecutive Olympic gold medals and establishing an enduring legacy unmatched to this day.
With a total of eight Olympic golds, one silver and four bronze medals, India remains the most successful hockey nation in Olympic history. The country also lifted the 1975 Hockey World Cup and boasts an impressive record at the Asian Games, winning four gold, nine silver and three bronze medals. The Indian women’s team has also contributed to the legacy with seven Asian Games medals to its credit. After a period of decline during the 1980s and 1990s, Indian hockey witnessed a remarkable resurgence beginning in 1998, which reached new heights in recent years. The men’s team, led by Manpreet Singh, ended a 41-year Olympic medal drought by winning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games, a feat they replicated in Paris 2024, reaffirming India’s status as a powerhouse in the sport.
Reflecting on the significance of the centenary milestone, Gurbux Singh, the 90-year-old Olympic gold medallist and one of the oldest living legends of Indian hockey, expressed deep pride and emotion.
“To complete 100 years and that too with this level of tremendous achievements at the world level, Indian hockey stands tall in the world of sport and this occasion surely needs to be celebrated in the most befitting manner. We as Indians ought to be proud of this legacy,” said Gurbux, fondly nicknamed ‘Professor’ by his Pakistani rivals for being the only player to wear spectacles on the field.
A stalwart of the game, Gurbux began his hockey journey in 1955 while studying in Gwalior, training under the legendary Roop Singh, brother of Dhyan Chand. He represented Madhya Bharat in 1956 before making his India debut in 1959, and went on to play a pivotal role in the country’s 1964 Tokyo Olympics gold medal-winning team.
“It is almost 65 years that I have been associated with the sport and I have lived my best life because of hockey. Personally, the 1964 Olympic gold medal followed by the 1966 Asian Games gold will always hold a special place in my heart. We regained the world title in ’64 by winning the gold, as in those days, the Olympic champions were regarded as world champions. We later won the Asian Games gold for the first time, beating Pakistan.
That was very memorable,” he recalled. When asked about hockey’s greatest rivalry over the past century, Gurbux had no hesitation in naming India versus Pakistan.
“No doubt that was the greatest rivalry of all-time. Before the partition, we played as one unit and after the partition, no European team came close to the rivalry we shared with Pakistan. The matches were fiercely fought by both teams,” he said.
Despite the intense on-field competition, Gurbux fondly remembered the camaraderie between the two teams off the pitch.
“Personally speaking, there was never any animosity off the field between the two teams. Almost 13 out of the 18 players in Pakistan team were Punjabis who were directly affected by the partition. Mind you, we played the 1966 Asian Games just after the 1965 War. On the field, we saw them as an opponent whom we wanted to beat. I never had the feeling that we were playing Pakistan, but we always played like it was any other match that had to be won, and that is most important,” he concluded.
