Bangalore, Jul 14: Here we take a brief look at the hockey tournaments played at the previous Olympics, starting from 1908, the first ever time the sport was played at the mega event. After winning gold for a second time at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, (British) India took part in the 1932 Games, under the captaincy of Dhyan Chand.

1936 Berlin Games

The games took place either in the Hockey Stadion or the Hockey Stadion Field No.2. Eleven teams took part in the 1936 edition and they were divided into three groups. While Group A featured India, Hungary, Japan and the USA, Group B comprised Germany, Afghanistan and Denmark. The third group featured the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Switzerland. The total attendance at the 1936 Olympic hockey tournament was 1,84,103.

Winner:
India won the gold by defeating Germany 8-1 in the final. It is the biggest victory margin in an Olympic hockey final along with the 1908 results when England beat Ireland. The Netherlands beat France 4-3 to win the bronze.

India's results:
India put up a superb display in all its matches. India beat Hungary 4-0, USA 7-0 and Japan 9-0 in the group matches, beat France 10-0 in the semifinal and hosts Germany 8-1 in the final. India cored 38 goals and conceded just one in the entire tournament. Dhyan Chand scored 11 of the Indian goals.

Some facts from the 1936 Games:
1. It was Dhyan Chand's final Olympics for he decided to retire at the age of 31. He was handed over the captaincy as a gesture to his magnificent service to the country. Dhyan Chand, however, had a horrible collision with the German goal-keeper in the final as a result of which, he had lost one of his tooth.
2. India had lost a practice match to Germany 1-4, which sent alarm bells ringing. The team management decided to bring in Ali Iqtidar Shah Dara, who later represented Pakistan after the Partition, at the Olympics.
3. The German dictator, Adolf Hitler, had offered an army post to Dhyan Chand after the final.

Next: India win 1948 Games

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