~ 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, November 1, 2025: For decades, even before India gained independence, Indian hockey was considered the definition of sporting excellence on the world stage. With a proud haul of 13 Olympic medals, 8 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze, India has established itself as the ultimate powerhouse of the sport. One person who has played a crucial role in shaping India’s story is the inimitable Zafar Iqbal, a gold medalist from the 1980 Moscow Olympics. It is also the last time India won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics.
Reflecting on 100 years of glorious Indian hockey, Zafar Iqbal said, “I would say it is a great achievement of Indian Hockey in the last 100 years. If you think what hockey has done for the country in the last 100 years, we have 8 gold medals in the Olympics and also medals in the World Cup. They have done a great job for the country. They have given the country laurels, and no other team in the world has done the same in the past. 100 year, even if you look at Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and other major hockey countries.”
Zafar Iqbal was a very important cog in the wheel during his playing days and not only won a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, he has also won two silver medals at the 1978 and 1982 Asian Games, and a bronze medal at the Champions Trophy in 1982. Looking back on a successful era in the sport, he said: “Indian hockey has achieved much more after India won independence in 1947. We have five won gold medals since 1947.”
It was in 1976 that hockey switched to artificial grass at the Olympic Games. And India was more used to playing on grass. However, in 1980, India overcame all the challenges of playing on a new surface and captured the coveted gold in Moscow. Speaking of the campaign, Zafar Iqbal fondly remembers how they went about it. “We never had much experience of playing on astro-turf pitches as they weren’t available in India at the time. We played against Spain in the 1980 final and it was a very tough match. Spain were one of the top teams at the time and we had to defend very well in the latter stages of the match to get the win. It was all down to our skills and abilities that we were able to beat Spain.”
“We were so happy that tears flowed, there was a feeling of joy when we stood on the podium. We enjoyed the match and everyone supported us even though there were hardly any spectators from India. But the entire embassy staff was present,” he added.
Speaking about the current generation of players in Indian hockey, Zafar Iqbal said, “We have to show the world that we have many players who can become champions in the future. We won the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2016, and now I hope we play well and finish on the podium in the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2025.”
He also added, “Hockey India is a well-organized unit, and they are doing their job professionally and I am sure they can grow hockey in our country.”
Hockey India will bring more such nostalgic stories from the icons of yesteryear in the coming days, with an aim to relive the historic contribution of the legends of the sport that put India on the world sporting map in the last 100 years.