Where it began

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• India
• Women
• Canadian controversy

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It's hard to imagine a sport dating back to the Twin Dynasty wars in Egypt, but field hockey has that kind of legacy and the distinction of being the oldest ball and stick game. Versions of field hockey trace back to at least 2000 BC, according to archaeological evidence, such as sketches of men knocking a ball around with sticks in the Nile Valley.

The sport grew in popularity in the Middle Ages. In fact, field hockey was banned in England for a short time because it kept people from training in archery, which was the foundation of its national defence. England claimed mastery of the modern version of field hockey, which was first played in English schools in the 19th century and is believed to have been adapted from the Irish game of hurling. (Hurling is played on a grass pitch, and its players use sticks to hit the ball in mid-air through an H-shaped goal).

After field hockey evolved in Great Britain it was spread throughout the British Empire by the army, gaining prominence in Pakistan and India.

India's unprecedented dominance

Field hockey debuted at the 1908 London Olympics and resurfaced at the 1920 Games of Antwerp. The sport wasn't an Olympic fixture until 1928, which was also the start of India's 28-year stranglehold on the gold medal in the event. During that span, India won six straight gold medals and 30 consecutive Games in the process. India would win gold again 1964 and 1980.

When it comes to individual accomplishments, India once again leads the pack and one name stands alone, in a sense: Balbir Singh, a name shared by five different Indian players during their winning streak. The first Singh scored five goals in 1952, leading his team to gold in a 6-1 victory over the Netherlands.

Dhyan Chand was yet another legendary Indian player who scored 38 goals in 12 Olympic matches, helping his country win gold three consecutive times (1928-1936). Chand was also part of the highest scoring match in international play when his team crushed the U.S. 24-1 in 1932. Chand scored eight goals in that contest but was outdone by his teammate Roop Singh, who scored 10 goals.

Since India's dynasty ended in 1956, only the Netherlands (1996-2000) has won consecutive gold medals, and the country missed out on a three-peat in Athens when it lost to Australia in the final. Great Britain (1908, 1920, 1988) and Pakistan (1960, 1968, 1984) are the only other countries to claim top honours three times.

Women

Women were finally allowed to compete in the 1980 boycotted Moscow Games. Since then, Australia (1988, 1996-2000) has won three gold medals, but poor play in Athens excluded the team from the medal matches.

It was a German squad that claimed gold in 2004, to its own surprise. Ranked seventh going into the tournament, Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the final game, handing the Dutch its first-ever Olympic defeat.

Canadian controversy

At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Canadian men's team lost 2-1 to the host nation with a controversial goal being the deciding marker. The Canadian players vehemently argued with the Scottish referee over the winning goal. Whatever the merits of the Canadians' argument, the unfortunate lasting image of that incident was goalkeeper Mike Mahood kneeing a Malaysian player who was kneeling on the field praying.

The men's field hockey team has represented Canada five times in the Olympics. Its first entry was in 1964 in Tokyo, where it finished 13th. In four subsequent appearances they finished 10th three times and 11th in another. The Canadian women have had more success than their male counterparts. Their first appearance was in 1984, when they finished fifth. In 1988, Canada dropped to sixth, and in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics it fell to seventh.

With neither the Canadian men nor women qualifying for Athens, Beijing will finally see the Canucks return to the pitch. Success at the Pan Am Games in July 2007 secured the men's right to compete in China. The women failed to qualify.

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