Beighton cup

The National Hockey Association: Calling for Pan-India celebrations to mark the centenary of Indian hockey - a journey which began in 1925 when the first national sports body was formed, Hockey India has launched the 50-day countdown which will culminate into special celebrations on November 7.

While the actual details of the celebrations will be revealed in due course, Hockey India delved into the sport's incredible history underlined by the eight Olympic Gold medals - maximum won by any country in the sport till date and also the maximum number of medals in any discipline won by India at the Olympics.

Speaking about the significance of hockey contribution that outlined the country's immense potential on a global stage even before Independence, Gurbux Singh - the oldest living legend of the sport who has won Olympic Gold for India in 1964 Tokyo Olympics expressed, "The first hockey tournament held in India was the Beighton Cup in 1895. The National Hockey Association was formed in 1925 and India won the Olympic Gold in 1928, only in three years of forming the body. From then on, India won gold in 1932, 1936 and if the Games was held in 1940 and 1944 if not for WWII, we would have won two more gold medals. It was the Dhyanchand era and we totally dominated the world."