Overview
Field hockey is one of the oldest organised team sports, with roots going back to ancient Egypt, Persia, and Greece before assuming its modern form in nineteenth-century England. It was included in the modern Olympic Games at London 1908 and has been a permanent fixture since Amsterdam 1928, while the women's tournament joined at Moscow 1980.
Field hockey is played between two teams of eleven players each — ten outfield players and a goalkeeper — on a synthetic pitch measuring 91.4×55 metres. Players use a curved stick to pass and shoot a hard ball toward the opponent's goal. Matches consist of four quarters of 15 minutes each, with goals counting only when struck from inside the attacking circle marked in front of the goal. Penalty corners are awarded under specific conditions and stand among the sport's most distinctive and dramatic moments.
The sport is governed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), founded in 1924. Twelve teams compete in each of the men's and women's Olympic tournaments. Historically, India and Pakistan dominated field hockey through the twentieth century, before competitive power shifted to the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and Belgium in recent decades, where a faster, more tactical style of play has been developed.


