India, hockey and the Olympics

India’s field hockey performance at the Olympics

From 1928 to 1932, India won 8 gold medals; 6 in succession in the 12 editions held in various cities across the world. This was the golden period for Indian Men’s field hockey where they wielded near complete dominance in field hockey. No other country has, in the history of the games, won more medals in field hockey. Players like Dhyan Chand, Leslie Claudius, Roop Singh, Balbir Singh Sr and late Mohd Shahid were legendary geniuses at the game. Folklore has it that when Dhyanchand took the ball, the opponents were never able to dispossess him. He is to hockey what Pele is to football; a global giant of the game.

The battle resumes at Rio

Again, for Rio 2016, India is one of the favourites to win the Gold medal in field hockey. From 6th August, the entire country would cheer for the Indian hockey team when they take the field in Rio. Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has gone one step ahead by offering the entire Indian contingent, including the hockey team, a term life insurance cover cover of Rs.1 crore each. Under the able leadership of custodian Sreejesh Ravindran and with seasoned campaigners like Sardar Singh and with players like Ramandeep Singh, we are sure that India will be the leading contenders for a finish at the top of the winners podium this time around. We wish the Indian hockey team and the entire Indian contingent a very happy outing at Rio and are very sure that our association with the Olympics will be one that we will cherish.

Women’s hockey team

The women’s hockey team will be participating in the Olympics after 36 years. Their best performance till date was a fourth place standing in Rome in 1980. Unlike their male counterparts, although they are not title contenders, they can very well prove to be the surprise package. They qualified for Rio 2016 by finishing in the top-five at the 2014-15 Women’s FIH Hockey World League. From August 07, they will be beginning their journey to what could be a fairytale finish. We, at Edelweiss Tokio wish them all the best and would be praying for them to have a ‘Chak De’ moment in Rio 2016.