Indian hockey: All set to celebrate glorious 100 years’ journey on Friday

Come Friday (7 November), India will get into celebration mode to celebrate 100 years of hockey—a sport where it has shone the brightest on the world stage with a haul of eight golds and 13 medals in Olympics, one World Cup and countless Asian Games podium finishes.  Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi will see a galaxy of legends descend at the venue for the celebrations, to be held in association with Hockey India, with parallel events scheduled across more than 550 districts in India.

 The celebrations will begin on Friday morning, featuring a series of special events that capture the essence of Indian hockey’s glorious journey. Over 1,400 hockey matches will be played simultaneously across the districts nationwide—each of them hosting one men's and one women’s match.

 A 30-minute exhibition match featuring the Sports Minister’s XI and Hockey India’s Mixed XI (Men & Women) will be the highlight of the day - with elite players from men and women’s national teams in the fray. This will be followed by the felicitation of hockey legends across generations while an official commemorative volume: 100 Years of Indian Hockey, chronicling the sport’s remarkable journey will be unveiled.  

Announcing the plans along with Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for youth affairs and sports, Hockey India president and former Olympian Dilip Tirkey said on Monday, 3 November: “Celebrating 100 years of Indian hockey is a deeply emotional and proud moment for all of us. As we celebrate this centenary, our focus is on strengthening the game from the grassroots, empowering both men and women equally, and preparing our teams to reach the pinnacle of world hockey once again.  I extend heartfelt gratitude to all those who have stood by Indian hockey over the years — our players, coaches, fans, and partners. Together, we will make the next century even more golden.”

 Reflecting on 100 years of Indian hockey, Zafar Iqbal, a member of the 1980 gold medallist team of Moscow Olympics, told Hockey India: “I would say it is a big achievement by Indian hockey during the last 100 years. If you consider what hockey has done for the country during the last 100 years, we have eight gold medals in the Olympic Games, and medals at the World Cup too. They have done a great job for the country. 

 ‘’They have brought laurels for the country and no other team in the world has done the same thing in the past 100 years - even if you consider Australia, Germany, Holland, and other great hockey playing nations.”

 A photo exhibition at the stadium will take visitors through a visual journey of 100 glorious years, displaying rare archival photographs, memorabilia, and Olympic moments—from the 1928 Amsterdam Games to the present.