India eye hockey gold in Paris after 2020 Olympics bronze

India ended a 41-year wait for an Olympic men's hockey medal with a bronze in Tokyo three years ago, sparking hopes for a ninth gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Most of India's titles came in a different era when the game was played on grass pitches, often after soccer matches, and neighbouring Pakistan was also a medal contender.

In recent years, the fast, flat astroturf has been dominated by three-time champions Germany, with the Netherlands, Britain, Australia, Argentina, and most recently Belgium in Tokyo, also winning gold.

The World Cup has shown a similar trend, with Pakistan dominating in the early years and Germany winning their third title in 2023.

India's Hardik Singh, the reigning World Player of the Year, follows in the footsteps of his skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who won the award the previous two years.

Harmanpreet, considered the best drag flicker in the world, recently said the Tokyo bronze restored belief in the Indian hockey team. His close friend Lalit Kumar Upadhyay outlined the team's mission for Paris.

"We are looking forward to changing the colour of our medal from bronze to gold," forward Upadhyay told Reuters. "Right now hockey is totally changed and anyone can beat anyone depending on the day. It depends on how many chances you create."

The crowded top 10 of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings supports Upadhyay's analysis, with the Dutch, England (Britain), Belgium, Australia, Germany, and Argentina all ahead of India.

India's 16-man squad includes five debutants and eight players with the surname Singh. To reach the quarter-finals, they need to finish in the top four of a pool featuring reigning champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland.

"We are working on our fitness and defensive structure because we all have the mantra 'defend for the win'," Upadhyay added. "India is especially known for our counterattack, so we are looking to defend first. And if you have a good defence, then definitely we can have a good attack."

The word hockey comes from the French word hocquet, meaning 'shepherd's crook'. The tournaments from July 27 to August 9 will take place in Colombes, the main stadium for the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Women's hockey had a rough start at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 when all five teams invited to join the Soviet hosts boycotted the Games, and stand-ins Zimbabwe won their only title.

The dominant Dutch women won at their first attempt in 1984 and have won three of the last four gold medals, including in Tokyo, where they beat Argentina 3-1 in the final.

The Netherlands have won nine of 15 World Cups and currently top the rankings ahead of Argentina and Germany.

Their 26-game winning streak since a loss to Australia's Hockeyroos in June 2023 ended in Utrecht on June 24, when Belgium beat them 2-1 at the FIH Hockey Pro League, claiming their first victory over their neighbours in a major competition.

"I think certainly in preparation for the Olympics, it's nice to come here and win the game, so really cool," said Belgium's Helene Brasseur, who was named player of the match.