Hockey

Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round, rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck, into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick.Field hockey is played on gravel, natural grass, sand-based or water-based artificial turf, with a small, hard ball. The game is popular among both males and females in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South Africa. In most countries, the game is played between single-sex sides, although they can be mixed-sex.

The governing body is the 116-member International Hockey Federation (FIH). Men's Field hockey has been played at each summer Olympic Games since 1908 (except 1912 and 1924), while Women's Field Hockey has been played each summer Olympic Games since 1980.Modern field hockey sticks are J-shaped and constructed of a composite of wood, glass fibre or carbon fibre (sometimes both) and have a curved hook at the playing end, a flat surface on the playing side and curved surface on the rear side. While current field hockey appeared in the mid-18th century in England, primarily in schools, it was not until the first half of the 19th century that it became firmly established. The first club was created in 1849 at Blackheath in south-east London. Field hockey is the national sport of India and Pakistan.

The Indian Hockey Federation was the Indian branch of the International Hockey Federation. In April, 2008, Kandaswamy Jothikumaran, the IHF's Secretary General, resigned after a television show accused him of corruption. K. P. S. Gill, IHF chief for 14 years, lost his position when the Indian Hockey Federation was suspended by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on April 28.

he Indian Olympic Association appointed a new five-member national selection committee. This panel will work in conjunction with the International Field Hockey Federation in managing hockey in India. The panel was headed by Aslam Sher Khan, a former MP and former hockey captain and includes Ashok Kumar, Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal and Dhanraj Pillay. Aslam Sher Khan has now been replaced by Ajit Pal Singh as the chairman of the national selection committee. Aslam Sher Khan was highly displeased by this decision, though he remained as a selector.

In a 30 April 2008 interview with India Today, Khan indicated the impact of the 2007 film about the National Women's Hockey Team, Chak De India, on his future strategy by stating that he wants "to create a 'Chak De' effect" within Indian hockey. The Indian Hockey Team is the national men's field hockey team of India. It was the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation. In 1928, the team won its first Olympic gold medal. From 1928 to 1956, the Indian men's team remained unbeaten in the Olympics, garnering six gold medals in a row. The Indian team has won a total of eight gold, one silver and two bronze medals in Olympics.

On 9 March 2008, India lost 2-0 to Britain at Santiago, Chile in the final of one of the three qualifying tournaments for the Beijing Olympics. With only the winner advancing to the 12-team event, the Indian men's team was eliminated from the Beijing Olympics competition. This is the first time that the Indian men's team will not participate in the Olympics since 1928.

The Indian Women's Hockey Team is the national women's team representing field hockey in India. Captain Suraj Lata Devi led the team to the Gold for three consecutive years: during the 2002 Commonwealth Games (the event which inspired the 2007 Bollywood hit film, Chak De India), the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, and the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup. They were referred to as the assi (Jasjeet) jaisi koi nahi or "Golden girls of hockey," after winning the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup.

On 24 April 2008, India lost 2-1 to the United States during the 2008 Women's Field Hockey Olympic Qualifier. The team was thus eliminated from the Beijing Olympics competition. On 29 April 2008, following the suspension of the Indian Hockey Federation, The Hindustan Times revealed that 16 days before leaving for the games, a report found many of the players to be unfit for international competition. The report was quoted as stating, "Eleven girls are suffering from different injuries and are under treatment and thus not fit for international competition of Olympic qualifying standards."