Hockey has been a part of the Olympic Games since 1908, with the men’s competition becoming a permanent fixture in 1928. The women’s competition was introduced in 1980 and has been played in every cycle since. The sport has a long history in the Olympics.
The hockey competitions at the Paris 2024 Games will take place from 27 July to 9 August at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments will feature 12 teams, with the gold medal matches scheduled for 8 and 9 August respectively.
In hockey, the objective is simple: score more goals than the opposing team. Matches consist of four 15-minute periods played by two teams of 11 players each. Players are only allowed to touch the ball with the flat side of their stick. In the group stages, three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and the top four teams advance to the knock-out stages.
India holds the most medals in the men’s competition, with eight golds out of their 12 total medals. Pakistan is second with eight medals, and Great Britain is third with nine medals, including two silvers and four bronzes. The Netherlands leads the women’s competition with nine medals, followed by Australia and Germany with three each, but Australia has three golds compared to Germany’s one.
Team GB’s women’s team won gold at Rio 2016, bronze at London 2012, and bronze again in Tokyo three years ago. The men’s team has not won an Olympic medal since their gold in 1988, although they came close with a fourth-place finish in 2012. Great Britain has a successful history in Olympic hockey.