India: ‘Celebrating 100 years of sport is a great achievement,’ says 1975 World Cup winner Ashok Kumar

~Hockey India, in their month-long campaign to celebrate 100 years of Indian hockey, dives deep into nostalgia, celebrating and remembering the heroes of the sport who created a legacy that continues to dominate the sporting world~

New Delhi October 13, 2025: Indian hockey was considered the gold standard for years and decades. With a total of 8 gold medals, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals, a total of 13 medals at the Olympic Games, India has clearly set the standard. And someone who has watched it very closely for a long time is Ashok Kumar, Olympic medalist in 1972 in Munich and World Cup winner in 1975, and also son of the legendary Dhyan Chand.

In 1928, the Indian men’s hockey team won its first Olympic gold medal and until 1960, the Indian men’s hockey team remained undefeated at the Olympic Games, winning six gold medals in the vault. Looking back, Ashok Kumar said, “Even before the 1928 Olympics, the Indian men’s hockey team played good hockey, and the very first time we played the Olympics, Dhyan Chand was part of the team. From there, the glorious journey of hockey in India began, as we showed the world, with our skill and flair. And to be at a point where As we celebrate 100 years in the sport, it is a great achievement for Indian hockey.

Ashok Kumar was part of the Indian team that won their last World Cup title, in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, where he scored the winning goal against Pakistan in the final. He also has bronze at the 1971 Barcelona World Cup and silver at the 1973 Amsterdam World Cup. Although the 1975 title is India’s only World Cup title, Ashok Kumar is one of the few players to have achieved all three World Cup medals. Ashok Kumar, who was known for his exceptional ball control and skills, said, “There was a time when the interest was in hockey, as it is now in cricket. India has had some incredible players, who have left a strong legacy. People like Dhyan Chand, KD Singh, Balbir Singh Sr and many more players. The entire country would be following Indian hockey closely, and in those time everyone played hockey.”

He added, “The records that India has in hockey, the double hat-trick of medals and the craze seen for the Indian hockey team was incredible. Performing so well at the Olympics, the pinnacle of sports, tells a story.”

After the 1980s Moscow Olympics, India had to wait another four decades for another medal, in the form of bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And four years later there was bronze again, at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Ashok Kumar believes that the current Indian team has absolutely everything it takes to succeed at the highest level, and he said, “Our current team is playing with a lot of confidence and they lack nothing. Be it preparation or execution, they are a very strong team. The Indian men’s and women’s hockey team are both doing well, and it is their time to perform and shine at the highest level.”