India

After years of sliding down the FIH World Rankings which culminated in failure to qualify for the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 – a competition that they had won a record eight times – India’s men are back at the top table of the global game. 

A bronze medal at the delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was a landmark moment for the team, following it with a third-place finish in the 2021-22 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League. While a ninth-place finish on home soil at the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 was certainly far below expectations, India bounced back by taking fourth place in the 2022-23 FIH Hockey Pro League season before storming to glory at last year’s Asian Games competition in Hangzhou (CHN), guaranteeing their participation in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. India were 5-1 winners in the competition final against Japan, with team captain Harmanpreet Singh scoring twice. Harmanpreet is very much India’s star man, being a fabulous defender and one of the best drag flickers in the game. However, he is far from being their only exceptional talent, with two-time FIH Hockey Stars Goalkeeper of the Year PR Sreejesh, classy midfielder Manpreet Singh, striker Mandeep Singh and dazzling midfielder Hardik Singh, the current FIH Hockey Stars men’s Player of the Year all capable of producing magical moments. The team is coached by former South Africa international and triple Olympian Craig Fulton, who has held coaching roles with the national teams of Ireland, Belgium and his home nation. 

Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh: “After 44 long years, the Indian Hockey Team is travelling to the Olympic Games as a reigning medallist, and I am happy to lead this unit. I know there are a lot of expectations of us from back home, and we are ready to deliver on our promises. Our team has shown tremendous growth and resilience in recent years. As we gear up for Paris 2024, we're focused on doing our best to change the color of the medal, and represent India with pride. We're hungry for success and determined to bring glory to our nation on the Olympic stage.”

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