Much later, 16th century Native Americans in Argentina played a similar game. While it's unclear whether the concept was passed from civilization to civilization, it is clear that there is something timeless about a stick-and-ball sport, which many feel is perfected in the sport of field hockey.
Before 1861, play took place on a large, open field with little offensive or defensive tactics. As players refined the sport and its popularity grew, British organizers determined it was time to regulate its play. In 1886, the Brits created a national Hockey Association. After a decade, the sport went international; first with inter-country competition, then with the help of British servicemen.
The military can take credit for introducing the sport to the country that later set the standard for international play, India. India, and later, after separating over religious differences, its neighbor Pakistan, quickly became the teams to beat. And between the two, a rivalry sprouted that exists to this day.
That rivalry has been dramatized on the Olympic field. Since the sport entered the Olympic Games in 1908, 29 of the 64 medals ever awarded in the sport have gone to India (11), Great Britain (10) and Pakistan (8). Germany, the Netherlands and Australia are next in line.
By 1924, the sport had spread so much that an international organizer was needed, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) was born. The "Champion's Trophy" and World Cup (introduced in 1970) now determine the world's top players. The creation of the international federation helped the sport gain full Olympic status by 1928.
It was an ill-fated year. The U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow frustrated many athletes who trained for years to reach them. In sympathy, five of the six countries qualified to compete for the first time in women's Olympic hockey also withdrew. Fearing an embarrassing first year on the Olympic Programme, other countries were encouraged to participate. Zimbabwe, which chose its team just one week before the Games when the Soviet Union and International Olympic Committee volunteered their financial support, took the gold.
This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Jennifer Knight and Dianna Drayson.
| Pin trading was one of the most popular Olympic sports, with more than 1.2 million pins changing hands during the Games in the Coca Cola Pin Trading Center at Centennial Olympic Park. |