India at the Olympics
India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete Norman Pritchard winning two medals – both silver – in athletics and became the first Asian nation to win an Olympic medal.[1]
| India at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
| IOC code | IND |
| NOC | Indian Olympic Association |
| Website | olympic |
| Medals Ranked 58th |
|
| Summer appearances | |
| Winter appearances | |
| Other related appearances | |
| Independent Olympic Participants (2014) | |
The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920 and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games beginning in 1964.
Indian athletes have won 35 medals, all at the Summer Games. For a period of time, the Indian Men's Field Hockey Team was dominant in Olympic competition, winning eleven medals in twelve Olympics between 1928 and 1980. The run included eight gold medals of which six were won consecutively from 1928 to 1956.[2]
History
During British Imperial Rule
Despite being under British rule until 1947, India participated in the Olympic Games separately from the British Olympic Team. India sent its first athlete to the Summer Olympics for the 1900 Games, but an Indian national team did not compete at the Summer Olympics until 1920. Ahead of the 1920 Games, Sir Dorabji Tata and Governor of Bombay George Lloyd helped India secure representation at the International Olympic Committee, enabling it to participate in the Games (see India at the 1920 Olympic Games). India then sent a team to the 1920 Olympics, comprising three athletes, two wrestlers, and managers Sohrab Bhoot and A. H. A. Fyzee. The Indian Olympic movement was then established during the 1920s: some founders of this movement were Dorabji Tata, A.G. Noehren (Madras College of Physical Education), H.C. Buck (Madras College of Physical Education), Moinul Haq (Bihar sports associations), S. Bhoot (Bombay Olympic Association), A.S. Bhagwat (Deccan Gymkhana), and Guru Dutt Sondhi (Punjab Olympic Association); Lt. Col H.L.O. Garrett (from the Government College Lahore and Punjab Olympic Association) and Sagnik Poddar (of St. Stephen's School) helped organise some early national games; and prominent patrons included Maharajas and royal princes such as Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, Ranjitsinhji of Nawanagar, the Maharaja of Kapurthala, and the Maharaja of Burdwan.[3][4][5]
In 1923, a provisional All India Olympic Committee was formed, and in February 1924, the All India Olympic Games (that later became the National Games of India) were held to select a team for the 1924 Summer Olympics. The Indian delegation at the Paris Olympics comprised seven athletes, seven tennis players and team manager Harry Buck.[6]
In 1927, the provisional Indian Olympic Committee formally became the Indian Olympic Association (IOA); its main tasks were to promote the development of sports in India, choose host cities for the national games, and send teams selected from the national games to the Summer Olympics. Thus, at the 1928 national games, it selected seven athletes to represent India at the next Summer Olympics, with Sondhi as manager. By this time, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) had also been established and it sent a hockey team to the Summer Olympics. The national hockey team was similarly sent to the 1932 Games along with four athletes and one swimmer and 1936 Games with four athletes, three wrestlers, one weight-lifter, along with three officials headed by team manager Sondhi. The Indian field hockey team dominated the Olympics from 1928 to 1936 winning an unprecedented three consecutive titles. In the 1928 Summer Olympics final India defeated Netherlands 3–0. It was a great achievement for the fact, that it was the first gold medal won by any nation from Asia at the modern Olympic Games.[7][8] In 1932 Summer Olympics India defeated United States 24–1, the largest margin of victory in Olympics history.[9] In 1936 Summer Olympics final they defeated Germany 8–1, the largest margin of victory ever in an Olympic final.[10]
Post-independence
From 1948 onwards, because of the IOA's wider outreach, India began sending delegations of over 50 athletes in several sports, each selected by its sports federation, to the Summer Olympics. The delegation was headed by a chef-de-mission. The Indian field hockey team won a gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics by defeating Great Britain in the final. It was the first gold medal for India as an independent nation.[11]
At the 1952 Summer Olympics wrestler K. D. Jadhav won the first individual medal for independent India. The Indian field hockey team continued their dominance by winning a sixth straight title by defeating Pakistan in the final of 1956 Summer Olympics. The six straight title wins by the Indian team was an Olympic record at that time in a team event. This record has since been surpassed only by the United States men's and women's basketball teams.
At the 1960 Rome Olympics the hockey team lost the final and had to settle for a silver medal.[12] The team bounced back by winning gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics.[13] But went on to win only bronze medals in the next two Olympics.[14][15] In 1976 Summer Olympics India went home empty handed, the first time since 1924.
Indian hockey team won their record 8th olympic gold at the 1980 Summer Olympics.[16][17] India had to return empty handed in the next three Summer Olympics. At the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, tennis player Leander Paes won a bronze medal at the men's singles event ending a barren run of 16 years without a medal at the Olympics and also became the first individual medalist since 1952.[18]
Recent history
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Karnam Malleswari won a bronze medal in the Women's 69 kg weightlifting category. It was the first-ever Olympic medal won by an Indian woman.[19]
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, star shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the silver medal in Men's double trap shooting.[20]
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra won gold in the Men's 10 metre air rifle event becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.[21] Vijender Singh got the country's first medal in boxing with his bronze medal in Middleweight category. The 3 medal haul for India was the best till that year. Subsequently, the record was bettered to make it the third best performance in history.[22]
The 2012 Summer Olympics saw a record 83-member Indian contingent participating in the games and setting a new best for the country with a total of six medals.[20] Wrestler Sushil Kumar became the first Indian with multiple individual Olympic medals (bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics) since independence. Saina Nehwal won a bronze medal in badminton in Women's singles, winning the country's first Olympic medal in badminton. Pugilist Mary Kom became the first Indian woman to win a medal in boxing with her bronze medal in Women's flyweight division. Star shooter Gagan Narang won the bronze in men's 10 m air rifle shooting.[23] Vijay Kumar added another medal by winning a silver in men's 25 m rapid fire pistol competition.[24]This was India's best performance till it was overtaken in 2020.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, a record number of 118 athletes competed. Sakshi Malik became the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal with her bronze medal in the Women's freestyle 58 kg category.[25] Shuttler P. V. Sindhu won a silver medal in Women's singles badminton, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal and also the youngest Indian Olympic medalist.[26]
In the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021), India was represented by a new record number of 124 athletes. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu secured a silver in the weightlifting women's category of 49 kg on the opening day, the first time India won a medal on the opening day of any Olympics.[27] A few days later, P. V. Sindhu defeated China's He Bingjiao in the Women's singles badminton bronze medal match in straight games, thus becoming the first Indian woman to win two individual Olympic medals.[28][29] Neeraj Chopra won the gold in Javelin Throw, becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal in track and field and the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold.[30] In Men's Field Hockey, India won a bronze medal. This medal came after a gap of 41 years, having last won a gold medal in Moscow 1980.[31][32] In the wrestling competitions, Ravi Kumar Dahiya won a silver medal and Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal.[33][34] Olympic debutant Lovlina Borgohain took bronze in women's boxing. She became only the second woman to win an Olympic medal in boxing.[35] The haul of 7 medals is the best performance for India in the Olympics history.[36][37][38]
Olympic Milestones
| Milestone | Athlete/Team | Game(s) | Sport | Medal(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Medallist, First Individual Medallist[39] | Norman Pritchard | 1900 Paris | Athletics | Silver |
| First Individual Medallist after Independence[40] | K. D. Jadhav | 1952 Helsinki | Wrestling | Bronze |
| First Gold Medallist[41] | Men's Field Hockey Team | 1928 Amsterdam | Field hockey | Gold |
| First Gold Medallist after Independence[42] | Men's Field Hockey Team | 1948 London | Field hockey | Gold |
| First Individual Gold Medallist[43] | Abhinav Bindra | 2008 Beijing | Shooting | Gold |
| First Individual Multi-medallist[44][45] | Norman Pritchard | 1900 Paris | Athletics | Silver Silver |
| First Individual Multi-medallist after Independence[46] | Sushil Kumar | 2008 Beijing 2012 London | Wrestling | Bronze Silver |
| First Female Medallist[47] | Karnam Malleswari | 2000 Sydney | Weightlifting | Bronze |
| First Female Multi-medallist[48] | P. V. Sindhu | 2016 Rio de Janeiro 2020 Tokyo | Badminton | Silver Bronze |
Indian Contingent at Olympics
Following lists provide a comparative compendium of the number of participants from India in the Summer and Winter Olympic games.
Participation in Summer Games
| Participation in Winter Games
|
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
| Medals by Winter Games
a A total of 3 athletes qualified from India but Shiva Keshavan had to participate as an Independent Olympic Participant due to an ongoing suspension of Indian Olympic Association which was reinstated during the course of 2014 Games. |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals by Sports
List of medalists
Multiple Medalists
Team Sports
Individual Sports
| Athlete | Sport | Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Pritchard | Athletics | 1900 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Sushil Kumar | Wrestling | 2008–2012 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| P. V. Sindhu | Badminton | 2016–2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Indian Men's Field Hockey Team at the Summer Olympics
Olympic Records
- Most matches played : 134
- Most wins : 83
- Most goals scored : 458
- Least goals conceded in a single tournament:[50] 0, 1928 Amsterdam & 1956 Melbourne, Men's tournament
- Biggest margin of victory : United States 1–24 India, 1932 Los Angeles, Men's tournament
- Biggest margin of victory at an Olympic final : Germany 1–8 India, 1936 Berlin, Men's tournament
- Biggest winning streak : 30–0, 1928 Amsterdam – 1960 Rome, Men's tournament
- Most goals scored in a single tournament : 43, 1980 Moscow, Men's tournament
- Most back-to-back titles : 6 Gold medals, 1928 Amsterdam – 1956 Melbourne, Men's tournament
- Most goals scored by a single player in a match : 10 goals by Roop Singh v/s United States, 1932 Los Angeles, Men's tournament
- Most goals scored by a single player in an Olympic final : 5 goals by Balbir Singh Sr. vs Netherlands, 1952 Helsinki, Men's tournament
- Most consecutive medals won : 10 medals, (7 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze), 1928 Amsterdam – 1972 Munich, Men's tournament
- Most appearances in total : 21
- Most consecutive appearances : 18, 1928 Amsterdam – 2004 Athens, Men's tournament
- Most titles won : 8 Gold medals
- Most medals won : 12 (8 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze), Men's tournament
Medal Table
| Games | Ranking |
|---|---|
| 1908 London | Did not enter |
| 1920 Antwerp | Did not enter |
| 1928 Amsterdam | Gold |
| 1932 Los Angeles | Gold |
| 1936 Berlin | Gold |
| 1948 London | Gold |
| 1952 Helsinki | Gold |
| 1956 Melbourne | Gold |
| 1960 Rome | Silver |
| 1964 Tokyo | Gold |
| 1968 Mexico City | Bronze |
| 1972 Munich | Bronze |
| 1976 Montreal | 7th[51] |
| 1980 Moscow | Gold |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 5th |
| 1988 Seoul | 6th |
| 1992 Barcelona | 7th |
| 1996 Atlanta | 8th |
| 2000 Sydney | 7th |
| 2004 Athens | 7th |
| 2008 Beijing | Did not qualify |
| 2012 London | 12th |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 8th |
| 2020 Tokyo | Bronze |
See also
References
- ^ . Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "India hockey all medals at Olympics list". 5 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Sir dorabji tata and the Olympics". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "India Olympics highs and lows;Olympics.com". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "India and Olympics;The Economictimes.com". August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "History of Indian olympic association". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Indian hockey won the first Olympic gold medal at hockey in 1928 Amsterdam". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "1928 Olympics: India's first step towards ascending hockey throne". The Hindu. 7 July 2012. from the original on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "1932 Olympics games: India's dominance continues". The Hindu. 7 July 2012. from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "1936 Olympics: Hat-trick for India under Dhyan Chand". The Hindu. 8 July 2012. from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ Rohan Puri (26 July 2016). "Olympics: Down the memory lane 1940–1956". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "1960 Olympics: Pakistan ends India's dominance". The Hindu. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Gold winning hockey team of 1964 Tokyo Olympics felicitated". The Times of India. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ "1972 Olympics: India's golden glory fades". The Hindu. 16 July 2012. from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "When Indian hockey first went 'bronze'". The Hindu. 16 September 2000. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "1980 Olympics: India sinks Spain for gold". The Hindu. 17 July 2012. from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Last time India field hockey team won gold at Olympics in Moscow". Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ Rohit Brijnath (31 August 1996). "Olympics 1996: How Leander Paes won India's first individual Olympic medal in 44 years". India Today. from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Sydney Olympics hero Karnam Malleswari lauds Sakshi Malik, urges her to start preparing for Tokyo Games". India Today. 18 August 2016. from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ a b Rohan Puri (30 July 2016). "Olympics: Down the memory lane 2004–2012". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Abhinav Bindra gold medal at Beijing". Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ "India at the Beijing 2008 Olympics". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Gagan Narang Stats;ISSF.com". Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "The Olympic medalist India forgot". 30 January 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ "Rohtak Zen in Rio zone, Sakshi Malik brings wrestling bronze from Olympics". The Indian Express. 19 August 2016. from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ Manoj Bhagavatula (19 August 2016). "Rio 2016 Live: Silver for India's golden girl, Sindhu puts up tough fight". Hindustan Times. from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Saikom Mirabai Chanu;Olympics.com". Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "PV sindhu becomes two time Olympic medalist: Olympics.com". Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "PV sindhu wins bronze at Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics: Olympics.com". Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics 2020: Neeraj Chopra wins historic Gold in javelin throw, India's first athletics medal in 100 yrs". EconomicTimes. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "India beat Germany 5-4 in mens hockey win historic bronze medal". Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "India vs Germany Bronze medal match;Olympics.com". Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Ravi Kumar Dahiya takes silver;Olympics.com". Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Bajrang Punia wins bronze in 65 kg ;Olympics.com". Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "lovlina borgohain puts boromukhia on olympic map". 31 July 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Indian medal winners;indianexpress.com". 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "India in tokyo olympics;Olympics.com". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "The curious case of Norman Pritchard". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "KD Jadhav: The scrawny lad who stood tall in the sport of giants". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "1928 Amsterdam Olympics: The hockey champions of the world". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "For independent India, how hockey made a new beginning at 1948 London Olympics". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "On this day Abhinav bindra became first Indian to win individual Olympic gold". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ "India's first Olympics: A debut in Paris 1900 and beyond". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "Norman Pritchard Biography, Olympic Records and Age". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "Sushil Kumar Biography, Olympic Records and Age". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "Karnam Malleswari's bronze at Sydney 2000 lifts Indian women up". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "PV Sindhu becomes first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals - Full list of major honours". Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ "Tokyo 2020: Neeraj Chopra adds a golden chapter to Indian sports history". Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ "Indian field hockey records". Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ "Indian hockey men at the Olympics: A gold-laden history". Retrieved 15 September 2022.
External links
- "India". International Olympic Committee.
- "India". Olympedia.com.
- "Olympic Analytics/IND". olympanalyt.com.