| Field hockey at the Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
| IOC Code | HOC |
| Governing body | FIH |
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) |
| Summer Olympics | |
Field hockey made itsdebut at theModern Olympic Games as a men's competition in the1908 Games inLondon. It was removed from the Olympic schedule of theSummer Olympic Games for the1924 Paris Games and was reintroduced in the1928 Amsterdam Games. The Women's field hockey wasintroduced into the Olympic programme at the1980 Moscow Olympics.
TheInternational Hockey Federation (FIH) was founded in 1924 and governs the field hockey events. Until the1988 Summer Olympics, the tournaments were invitational, but a qualification system was introduced since the1992 Barcelona Olympics. The last edition atParis was the 25th occurrence of themen's event and 12th consecutive occurrence ofwomen's event in the Olympics.
India holds the record for the most appearances in the Olympic men's competitions (22) while Australia and Netherlands hold the same record in women's competitions (11). India leads the medal tally for the men's events with 13 medals while the Netherlands heads the women's events with 10 medals.
Great Britain won the first two editions of the men's event in1908 and1920.India won the gold medal in seven out of eight Olympics from1928 to1964 withPakistan winning three gold and silver medals each between the 1956 and1984 Games. The matches are played onartificial turf since1976. Since the late 1980s, European nations have dominated the field hockey events withGermany andNetherlands having won three gold medals each in the men's event. In the women's event,Netherlands andAustralia have been dominant, having won five and three gold medals respectively since its introduction in 1980.
Field hockey was introduced at theModern Olympic Games as a men's competition at the1908 Games inLondon.Great Britain won the first two editions in1908 (asEngland) and1920.[1] It was removed from the Olympic schedule of theSummer Olympic Games for the1924 Paris Games because of the lack of an international sporting structure. TheInternational Hockey Federation (FIH) was founded in Paris that year as a response to the same.[2] Men's field hockey was added to the Olympics for the next Olympic Games in1928 Games held atAmsterdam.[1][3]

Starting in1928,India won the gold medal in seven out of eight Olympics till1964 including six consecutive gold medals from the1928 Olympics to1956.[4][5]Pakistan won its first gold medal in1960 and won three gold and silver medals each in a run lasting from 1956 to1984.[6]West Germany won the gold medal in the1972 Munich Olympics, for the first gold medal by a non-Asian country since 1928. Olympic field hockey games were first played onartificial turf at the1976 Montreal Games and was won byNew Zealand.[1][7] The domination of both the Asian countries came to an end in the late 1980s with India winning its last gold medal in the competition in1980 and Pakistan in 1984.[5][6]
Though the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) was founded way back in 1927,Women's field hockey made its debut at theSummer Olympics only at the1980 Moscow Olympics and was won byZimbabwe. On 23 April 1983, women’s hockey programme was taken over by FIH and the IFWHA was dissolved.[3] Great Britain won its first gold medal in themen's event since 1920 in the1988 Seoul Olympics.[1]

Until the 1988 Olympics, the tournament was invitational but FIH introduced a qualification system starting from the1992 Barcelona Olympics. Since the 1990s, European countries have been dominant in the men's sport with the only exceptions being the wins byAustralia in2004 andArgentina in2016. BothGermany andNetherlands have won three gold medals each, with the only other European winner beingBelgium in2020.[1] In the women's events,Netherlands andAustralia have been dominant, having won five and three gold medals respectively since its introduction to the Olympic programme in1980. The only other winners of the women's event wereSpain in1992,Germany in2004, andGreat Britain in2016.[1]
The last edition of both themen's andwomen's events were held as a part of the2024 Paris Olympics with Netherlands winning both the events.[8][9] India holds the record for the most appearances in the Olympic men's competitions (22) andSpain has appeared in the most Olympic men's competitions (19) without winning the men's gold medal with the best place finishes being the silver medal won in1980,1996, and2008.[5][10] Australia and Netherlands hold the record for the most appearances in the Olympic women's competitions (11).[3] India leads the medal tally for the men's events with 13 medals including eight gold medals. Netherlands heads the women's events with 10 medals including five gold medals and also leads the overall medal tally with 20 medals (eight gold, six silver and six bronze).[11][3]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 13 | |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | |
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Totals (17 entries) | 25 | 25 | 26 | 76 | |
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980) | 1 (1960) | 4 (1968, 1972, 2020, 2024) | ||
| 4 (1972*, 1992, 2008, 2012) | 4 (1936*, 1984, 1988, 2024) | 4 (1928, 1956, 2004, 2016) | 3 (1968, 1996, 2020) | |
| 3 (1996, 2000, 2024) | 4 (1928*, 1952, 2004, 2012) | 3 (1936, 1948, 1988) | 5 (1972, 1976, 1992, 2008, 2016) | |
| 3 (1960, 1968, 1984) | 3 (1956, 1964, 1972) | 2 (1976, 1992) | 3 (1948, 1952, 2000) | |
| 3 (1908*, 1920, 1988) | 2 (1908*, 1948*) | 4 (1908*, 1908*, 1952, 1984) | 3 (1956, 1960, 2012*) | |
| 1 (2004) | 4 (1968, 1976, 1992, 2020) | 5 (1964, 1996, 2000*, 2008, 2012) | 2 (1984, 1988) | |
| 1 (2020) | 1 (2016) | 1 (1920*) | 1 (1928) | |
| 1 (1976) | ||||
| 1 (2016) | ||||
| 3 (1980, 1996, 2008) | 1 (1960) | 3 (1964, 2004, 2024) | ||
| 1 (1920) | ||||
| 1 (1932) | ||||
| 1 (2000) | ||||
| 1 (1932*) | ||||
| 1 (1980*) | ||||
| 2 (1920, 1936) | ||||
| 1 (1980) |
Since the debut of the field hockey on the sports programme in 1908, 45 teams have competed in at least one Olympic Games.
| Team | 1908 | 1920 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | – | 6th | 8th | – | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | 5th | – | – | – | – | 14th | 14th | 11th | – | – | 8th | 11th | 9th | 8th | 11th | – | 10th | 1st | 7th | 8th | 13 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5th | 6th | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | 2nd | – | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | 2nd | 6th | 17 | |
| – | – | 9th | – | – | 8th | 7th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| – | 3rd | 4th | – | 9th | 5th | 9th | 7th | 11th | 11th | 9th | 10th | 9th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9th | 5th | 2nd | 1st | 5th | 16 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13th | – | – | 10th | – | 12th | 11th | – | – | 10th | – | 10th | – | 11th | 12th | – | 8 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | 10th | Defunct | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | 2nd | 5th | – | 10th | 11th | – | – | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
| – | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | Defunct | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| 1st | Part ofGreat Britain | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| – | – | – | – | – | – | 9th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| 6th | 4th | 5th | – | 4th | 8th | 11th | – | 10th | – | 10th | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | 10 | |
| 5th | – | 3rd | – | 2nd | – | 5th | – | 1st | 4th | 5th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | 13 | |||||||||
| – | 1st | – | – | – | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 9th | 12th | 6th | – | – | 3rd | 1st | 6th | 7th | 6th | 9th | 5th | 4th | 9th | 5th | 7th | 19 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | – | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 7th | 1st | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 7th | 7th | – | 12th | 8th | 3rd | 3rd | 22 | |
| 2nd | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | 10th | 3 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | 13th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| – | – | – | 2nd | 7th | – | – | – | 14th | 7th | 13th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | 6 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | 7th | 6th | 8th | 13th | – | – | 9th | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9th | – | 9th | 15th | 8th | 8th | – | 10th | – | 9th | 11th | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16th | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | |
| – | – | 2nd | – | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | – | 9th | 7th | 5th | 4th | 4th | – | 6th | 3rd | 4th | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 4th | 6th | 1st | 20 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | 5th | 13th | 7th | 9th | 1st | – | 7th | – | 8th | – | – | 6th | 7th | 9th | 7th | 9th | 12th | 14 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | – | 1st | 5th | 3rd | 6th | 4th | 5th | 8th | 7th | – | – | – | 16 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | – | 12th | – | – | 11th | – | 4th | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | Defunct | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 3rd | Part ofGreat Britain | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | 10th | 12th | 11th | – | 10th | 9th | 6 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | 5th | 2nd | 8th | 6th | 8th | – | – | – | 6 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3rd | – | 7th | Defunct | 2 | |||||||||
| – | – | 7th | – | – | 11th | – | – | 3rd | 4th | 6th | 7th | 6th | 2nd | 8th | 9th | 5th | 2nd | 9th | 4th | 2nd | 6th | 5th | 8th | 4th | 19 | |
| – | – | 7th | – | 5th | 5th | 7th | – | 15th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | 3rd | 11th | 11th | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | |
| – | 3rd | 7th | 5th | Defunct | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | Part ofGreat Britain | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| – | 4th | 1st | 5th | – | 2nd | 2nd | Defunct | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 6 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
| Year | Debuting teams | No. | CT | Successor or renamed teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1920 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1928 | 5 | 13 | ||
| 1932 | 2 | 15 | ||
| 1936 | 2 | 17 | ||
| 1948 | 2 | 19 | ||
| 1952 | 3 | 22 | ||
| 1956 | 5 | 27 | ||
| 1960 | No debut | 0 | 27 | |
| 1964 | 3 | 30 | ||
| 1968 | 2 | 32 | ||
| 1972 | 1 | 33 | ||
| 1976 | None | 0 | 33 | |
| 1980 | 3 | 36 | ||
| 1984 | None | 0 | 36 | |
| 1988 | 1 | 37 | ||
| 1992 | 1 | 38 | ||
| 1996 | 1 | 39 | ||
| 2000 | None | 0 | 39 | |
| 2004 | None | 0 | 39 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 40 | ||
| 2012 | None | 0 | 40 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 41 | ||
| 2020 | None | 0 | 41 | |
| 2024 | None | 0 | 41 |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Totals (13 entries) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 36 | |
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 (1984, 2008, 2012, 2020, 2024) | 2 (2004, 2016) | 3 (1988, 1996, 2000) | ||
| 3 (1988, 1996, 2000*) | 1 (1984) | |||
| 1 (2004) | 2 (1984, 1992) | 1 (2016) | 1 (2008) | |
| 1 (2016) | 3 (1992, 2012*, 2020) | 2 (1988, 1996) | ||
| 1 (1992*) | 1 (2000) | |||
| 1 (1980) | ||||
| 3 (2000, 2012, 2020) | 3 (2004, 2008, 2024) | |||
| 2 (1988*, 1996) | 1 (1992) | |||
| 2 (2008*, 2024) | 1 (2004) | |||
| 1 (1980) | ||||
| 1 (1980*) | ||||
| 1 (1984*) | ||||
| 2 (1980, 2020) | ||||
| 2 (2012, 2016) | ||||
| 1 (2024) |
Since its debut at the 1980 Games, 23 teams have competed in at least one Olympic Games.
| Team | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | 7th | – | 7th | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 7th | 2nd | 3rd | 9 | |
| – | 4th | 1st | 5th | 1st | 1st | 5th | 5th | 5th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 11 | |
| 5th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | – | 4th | 2 | |
| – | 5th | 6th | 7th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | 5th | 4th | 2nd | 6th | 9th | 9th | 2nd | 7 | |
| 2nd | – | – | – | Defunct | 1 | ||||||||
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | 1 | |
| – | 2nd | 6th | 7th | 1st | 4th | 7th | 3rd | 6th | 6th | 9 | |||
| – | – | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 8th | – | 6th | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | 8th | 9 | |
| 4th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | 4th | – | 3 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | 8th | 10th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 10th | 6 | |
| – | 1st | 3rd | 6th | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 11 | |
| – | 6th | – | 8th | – | 6th | 6th | 12th | 4th | 4th | 8th | – | 8 | |
| 6th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | 10th | 9th | 11th | 10th | – | 12th | 11th | 6 | |
| – | – | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 9th | 7th | 9th | 8th | 11th | – | – | 8 | |
| 3rd | – | – | Defunct | 1 | |||||||||
| – | – | – | 1st | 8th | 4th | 10th | 7th | – | 8th | 7th | 7th | 8 | |
| – | 3rd | 8th | – | 5th | – | – | 8th | 12th | 5th | – | 9th | 7 | |
| – | 2nd | 5th | Defunct | 2 | |||||||||
| 1st | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Total | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
| Year | Debuting teams | No. | CT | Successor or renamed teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1984 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 1988 | 3 | 15 | ||
| 1992 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 1996 | No debuts | 0 | 16 | |
| 2000 | 2 | 18 | ||
| 2004 | No debuts | 0 | 18 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 2012 | 1 | 20 | ||
| 2016 | No debuts | 0 | 20 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 21 | ||
| 2024 | 1 | 22 |

Source:[12]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 20 | |
| 2 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 13 | |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 | |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 | |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 13 | |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |
| 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (20 entries) | 37 | 37 | 38 | 112 | |
