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India participated in six Olympics when it still was part of the British Empire, winning two silver medals and later completing a hat-trick of gold medals in hockey. read more
 "From Norman Pritchard's silvers to beginning of hockey dominance, how nation fared pre-1947")
India had completed a hat-trick of gold medals in men's hockey at the Olympics after defeating hosts Germany 8-1 in the final of the 1936 Games in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Image credit: X/@WeAreTeamIndia
With 33rd Sumer Olympic Games fast approaching, we commence a three-part series revisiting India’s performance at the world’s biggest sporting event since they made their debut in the second edition in 1900. Part 1 looks at how India performed at the Olympics when it still was part of the British Empire, i.e. before its independence in 1947.
India is quite the force when it comes to the sport of cricket and is among the most successful teams when it comes to prestigious events such as the World Cups. That, however, is far from the case when it comes to the world’s biggest sporting event.
The nation has a sum total of 35 medals, which would be considered quite poor given their billion-plus population that would mostly translate to an equally large talent pool across a wide variety of sports. Half of those medals have been won in the last four editions alone, signalling a steady improvement in recent years.
India had registered their best-ever performance at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, winning seven medals including an individual gold in athletics. And in Paris, the Indians will be hoping to cross the double-digit medal tally for the first time ever.
Before the Paris Olympics get underway, we take a look at how India performed at the Olympics before independence from Great Britain in 1947:
Paris 1900: India strike two silvers on debut
India was not part of the inaugural Olympic Games in Athens, which had featured only 14 countries in which the United States was the only non-European nation. The 1900 Games in Paris, however, witnessed nearly twice as many nations take part with India among 26 participants.
Calcutta-born athlete Norman Pritchard , who would later pursue a career in acting in the United States, became the first Indian Olympic medallist by winning silver in the men’s 200-metre and 200-metre hurdle events. He was India’s sole representative in the 1900 Games and ended up creating history.
St Louis 1904, London 1908 and Stockholm 1912: Did Not Participate
Berlin 1916: Cancelled due to World War 1
Antwerp 1920 and Paris 1924: India finish empty handed for the first time
India returned to the Olympic fold 20 years after winning two silver medals on their debut, sending a six-member contingent to Antwerp, Belgium in 1920 followed by an even-bigger 14-member contingent for the Paris Games four years later, the second time the French capital was hosting the prestigious event.
India would return empty-handed on both occasions, with the Antwerp Olympics marking the first of six editions in which the nation would fail to win a single medal. It was no different in 1924 despite India fielding a bigger team.
India made Olympic wrestling debut in 1920 with two athletes in that discipline, and in tennis in 1924 with a five-member team, including a female player.
Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932 and Berlin 1936: Beginning of India’s golden era in hockey
Nearly three decades after winning two silvers on Olympic debut, India would win their first gold medal at the Olympics in the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, Netherlands. And it would be the Indian men’s hockey team delivering their first-ever top-of-the-podium finish, marking the beginning of a golden age of Indian hockey in which the men’s team would win six consecutive gold medals at the Olympics and would win nearly a third of their total medal haul.
At the heart of their dominant run in the Olympics between 1928 and 1936 was ‘The Wizard of Hockey’ Major Dhyan Chand, considered the greatest player in the history of the sport. With Chand leading the attack, the Indian hockey team ended up breezing through the 1928 edition winning all five games without conceding a single goal while scoring 29.
India defeated hosts Netherlands 3-0 in the 1928 final, and would produce even more dominant performances in 1932 and 1936, defending their title on both occasions with victories over the United States (24-1) and Germany (8-1) respectively. India would score a combined 73 goals at Los Angeles and Berlin while conceding just three — two of them in the finals.
Tokyo 1940 and London 1944: Cancelled due to the Second World War.
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English (US) ·