National Game of India: Is Hockey our National Game?

Field Hockey is considered the national game of India. The national sport of a country is designated either based on the popularity of a game or on the basis of its historical connection to that game. National game status may also arise from the fact that the sport in question has a long-standing rich legacy for that country. The most obvious reason for designating a sport as the national sport of the country is this obvious association of pride that it evokes in the hearts of the countrymen.

National Game of India

The Field Hockey game can either be played on a grass field or on the turf, a specially made mat-like material. India's performance in Hockey at various international forums was phenomenal during the 1920-1950 period and that was probably why the sport became accepted as a national sport in the country.

Important Points of the Indian National Game

• The Indian Hockey Federation was established in 1925.
• Indian hockey took its first international trip to New Zealand where they played 21 matches, won 18, lost 1 and drew 2 among them. This trip marked the emergence of the legendary Dhyanchand.
• In the in 1928 Olympic, Indian Hockey team won gold medal for the country.
• Between 1928 and 1956, the Indian Hockey Team won six consecutive Olympic Gold Medals.
• Indian Hockey Team has won 24 consecutive matches scoring 178 goals while conceding only 7 in their half.
• The members of the Olympic team were Richard Allen, Dhyan Chand, Michael Gately, William Goodsir- Cullen, Leslie Hammond, Feroze Khan, Santosh Manglani, George Marthins, Rex Norris, Broome Pinninger, Michael Rocque, Frederick Seaman, Shaukat Ali, Jaipal Singh, Kher Singh Gill.
• Indian Hockey team's winning streak ended in the 1960 Rome Olympics when the team lost 0-1 to the Pakistan Hockey team in the finals.
• The team again won gold medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and 1980 Moscow Olympics.
• Indian Men’s Hockey team was the winner of the Hockey World Cup in 1975 held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• The Indian Women’s Hockey team won Gold medal in the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England.

Rules of National Game of India

Earlier, the game was played in two halves, 35 minutes each but the changes were made in 2014 when 4 halves of 15 minutes each were introduced. There is a 2-minute break after every period. There are 11 players on each side among whom 10 are on the field and one is the goalkeeper. Each player has a hockey stick, 150 to 200 cm long slender shaft, ending in a flattened extension known as the blade. The maximum permitted weight of the hockey stick is 737 grams. The ball is small and made of hard plastic. The stick is flat on the playing side and is generally made of hickory or mulberry wood. The objective of the game is to hit, dribble and push the ball around the field and attempt to shoot it past the goalkeeper into the opposite goal post. The field players are not allowed to hold, kick or carry the ball. The game begins with a center pass and the sides are revered after the first half. In order to qualify as a goal, the scoring shot must be taken from within the striking circle. Two on field umpires officiate the match and monitor the play closely for any misconduct or rule breaking.

History of National Game of India (Hockey)

It is probably one of the most ancient games played in the current world. The simplistic sport of guiding a ball with the help of a stick was played around 1200 years before the start of the ancient Games of Olympia in Greece. There are numerous variations of this game played through the ages by almost all major races in the world. The current accepted version of the game of Field Hockey was developed by the British. The London Hockey Association was established in 1921 and the rules were consolidated. The International Hockey Federation was founded in 1924 taking the predominantly British game to the world. The game was introduced in India during the British Raj. The first hockey club in India was established in Calcutta in 1855. The Bengal Hockey was the first hockey association in India and was founded in 1908. India competed in Olympics held in Amsterdam for the first time in 1928.

National Game of India: Controversy

In August 2012, the Union ministry of Youth Affairs declared in a response to a Right to Information (RTI) filed by Aishwarya Parashar, a 10 year old girl from Lucknow that India does not have a National game. The Union ministry of Youth Affairs reverted back to her saying that they could not find any official mandate declaring the national game status of Hockey. This comes as a shock to many as the sport has been widely accepted as the national game of the country, even on the Government of India website.

Countries & Their National Sports/Games