ACOG - Hockey - IBM

Olympic Hockey Overview

The stories are triumphant ones: In 1928, twenty-two-year-old Dhyan CHAND helps India take its first gold; in 1932, CHAND leads India in scoring 24 goals against the United States in the highest scoring match of Olympic history — a repeat gold experience; in 1936, CHAND leads India to defeat Germany 8-1 in his bare feet. Heroes like CHAND are part of the irresistible pull of the Olympic Games.

Known throughout the world, the sport of hockey takes one of the most ancient forms of team competition (boiled down to hitting a ball with a stick) and molds it into a fast-paced, action-packed competition relying on speed, style and teamwork. Spectators familiar with Olympic football (American soccer) will recognize the lines of defense and penalty kicks in a sport with a whole different twist.

The hockey field is about the size of an American football field, but is slicked down with water to make the ball glide across the surface. Those new to the sport will be amazed to see the fields saturated with water before competition and during half-time to reduce the friction inherent to turf. The less friction, the faster the ball. In Atlanta, the U.S. Army helps fill the four 20,000-gallon containers, called water bladders, at Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta University each night to prepare for the following day of competition.

Another quirk of the sport is the ball. Unlike most sports, with their rigid rules on equipment, when a player slaps that ball across the field, it could be solid or hollow, natural or artificial, as long as it's hard. The sport's predecessor, played by the Romans, actually used a feather-filled object. These days, the white ball also sports dimples, much like a supersized golf ball.

Add curved wooden sticks and a couple of nets to the combination of wet field and hard ball at Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta University during the Centennial Olympic Games and you've got yourself thrilling international competition few spectators can resist.

This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Jennifer Knight and Dianna Drayson.


Olympic Factoid
The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July).