Hockey

History

The idea of running after a ball with a stick is not at all recent. There is evidence that the Egyptians and Ethiopians did this thousands of years ago. The same goes for the Greeks, Romans and Aztecs later. However, the activity only started to become the hockey that we know today in the mid-1800s in England.

After the first clubs were set up, the first rules were drafted in 1875. In 1890, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge played what is considered to be the first international hockey game.

 In 1886, hockey underwent a change to its rule, which had significant effect on the way it developed. That year, the striking circle was created. This semicircle, which extends out from the goal line to a distance of 14.63 metres, is also where a player must enter in order to score a goal. Without being able to score from anywhere on the pitch, the game started to evolve tactically and technically, as athletes had to change more passes before attempting to score.

Another important moment in hockey’s history was when the sport made it to India and Pakistan. Taken over by the British, the sport gained popularity rapidly, leading to interesting results. Out of Pakistan’s 12 Olympic medals, ten were won in hockey, four of them gold. India has had better results in terms of medals and an especially successful track record in hockey, with nine gold medals, a silver and two bronze.

Hockey had its Olympic debut at the London Games in 1908. From then on, it was not part of the Olympic programme only in Stockholm (1912) and Paris (1924). Until the 1976 Games in Montreal, only the men took part in the Olympics.  The ladies started competing for medals in Moscow in 1980.

 
Curiosities

Unbeatable India
After learning to play hockey from the British, India ended up reigning supreme in the sport. The Indians are the biggest winners in the sport, winning nine gold medals. Most of this success was achieved between the Amsterdam Games in 1928 and Rome, 1960.

In these seven editions of the Olympics, the Indian team managed an impressive thirty straight wins and six gold medals. The biggest ever hockey champions scored 197 goals and conceded only eight. Amongst the victories, a few stand out: 24-1 over the United States, in Los Angeles (1932), beating them again 16-0 at the 1956 Games in Melbourne.

Their invincibility was finally broken by Pakistan. The gold medal match in Rome 1960, which Pakistan won 1-0 is still considered a tragedy in India today. Indeed, they trained even harder for the next four years, making sure they could bring back the gold in Tokyo, 1964.

Whistle and extra-time
The Olympics in Rome (1960) had two interesting situations that stood out.  The first was in the game between Belgium and France. In a very tight match, Belgium and France were drawing goalless. In one of France's attack, a police officer who was outside of the stadium, very close by, blew his whistle. The Belgium thought it had been the umpire and stopped playing. Then, to Belgium's despair, France scored. The match ended 1-0 to the French.

In the fifth-place match in Rome, Great Britain and Kenya faced each other in an endless game. A normal hockey game lasts two halves of 35 minutes. In other words, it is over in 70 minutes. However, the draw between the British and the Kenyans went on for six extra-time periods. One hundred and twenty-seven minutes were necessary for the British to take the lead and win the match 2-1.

See also

Confederação Brasileira de Hóquei Sobre Grama (CBHG)
Site: www.hoqueisobregrama.com.br
E-mail: sydnei@hoquei.com.br
Federação Internacional de Hóquei Sobre Grama (FIH): www.fih.ch