100 years of celebration of Hockey India

Why in news?

Hockey India launched its centenary celebrations - marking 100 years of Indian hockey (1925-2025), on November 7 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

• Organized – In association with the Sports Authority of India.
• The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was founded as the country’s first governing body for the sport.
• Evolution of Hockey in India – Hockey arrived in India in the 1850s under British rule and quickly grew popular, leading to the first Hockey club in Calcutta (1855). 
• On November 7, 1925, IHF was formed and later transformed into Hockey India (HI).
• Hockey India (HI) – Formed in 2009 after merging the IHF (men's) and the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation.
  • It acts as an apex governing body for hockey in India and was recognised as a National Sports Federation in 2014. 
  • Affiliated to – Federation of International Hockey (FIH), Indian Olympic Association (IOA), & Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).
• Achievements (1925–2025) – India won 8 Olympic gold medals, 1 World Cup, and numerous Asian Games titles.
• Features of 100 years celebration -

• Nationwide Hockey Festival - Conducted simultaneously in 500 districts, engaging more than 36,000 players.
• Launch of the commemorative book - “100 Years of Indian Hockey”.
• Felicitated some of the  most celebrated icons included Gurbux Singh,  Harbinder Singh, Ajith PalSingh, Ashok Kumar, B. P. Govinda, etc.
• Unveiled the trophy for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup.

National Sports Day is observed annually on 29^th August to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dhyan Chand – a renowned Hockey player.

References

1. AIR | India Celebrates 100 Years of Hockey
2. Olympics.com | Indian hockey’s centenary celebrations