Sports and games play
an important role in our life. Hockey is a team game wherein a group of players
having excellent physical fitness, mastery over the skills and tactical
capabilities together with high order of mental functioning collectively strive
to outsmart their rivals in a competition. It is a game that requires nerves of
steel to tolerate the critical competition load.
Hockey as
National Game
In India among
various sports, hockey occupies a significant place. It is the national game of
India. It is a game of skill, deception, anticipation, concentration and
chatterer. Like all other games, hockey too has its fundamental skills. To be
on the top in any game, it is necessary to have mastery over its fundamental
skills. The fundamental skills of a game are based on the motor moments of
human being. Hockey is considered a highly competitive sport around the world.
Both men and women take part in the game world over.
Eminent
Indian Hockey Players:-
Dhyan
Chand
Dhyan Chand was born on
29 August 1905, in Allahabad, U.P. He joined the army at the age of sixteen.
‘Lance Naik’ Dhyan Chand built a reputation for himself while playing for the
army. At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Dhyan Chand could not play in the finals
against Germany in the beginning. But as he was hurt at half point, when India
was leading by only 1-0, Dhyan Chand removed his shoes and entered the field
bare foot. He took India to a stunning victory scoring 6 more goals. Adolf
Hitler, the German dictator, was so impressed by Dhyan Chand’s performance in
the Berlin Olympic finals that he offered to elevate ‘Lance Naik’ Dhyan Chand
to the rank of a Colonel if he migrated to Germany. Of course, Dhyan Chand
refused. It was hard for people to believe that somebody could have the kind of
hockey skills Dhyan Chand had. In Holland, the authorities broke his hockey
stick to check if there was a magnet inside. In Japan the authorities felt
Dhyan Chand was using some glue which made the ball stick to it. Dhyan Chand
scored over a thousand goals in a career spanning 22 years (1926 -1948), more
than any other hockey player in the world. A sports club in Vienna built a
statue of Dhyan Chand with four hands and four sticks. To the Viennese, it
seemed that no ordinary man with two hands and one stick could have played as
well as Dhyan Chand did play. He is known as hockey wizard across the world. He
was captain of the Indian team in 1936 Berlin Olympics which won Gold medal in
hockey. 29th August, the birthday of the Great Dhyan Chand, is celebrated as
national sports day in our country.
Dhanraj
Pillay
Dhanraj Pillay has been
one of the best all time Hockey players of India and also one of the most
popular hockey players the game has ever produced for the country. An extremely
good forward with sharp attacking acumen, Dhanraj came from a very modest
background and by dint of his sheer talent and charismatic skills rose to
become one of the most prominent Hockey players of the nation. Dhanraj Pillay
made his debut in the International Hockey with Allwyn Asia Cup Hockey
tournament held at New Delhi in the year 1989. He played his first
International match against the team of China on the 20th of December 1989.
After this, he represented the Indian team in a number of International
tournaments such as Beijing Asian Games 1990, Barcelona Olympic Games 1992, and
World Cup Hockey tournament 1994 and so on till the year 2004. He has been the
only Hockey player who has participated in 4 Olympic Games (held in the years
1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004), 4 World Cup Tournaments (held in 1990, 1994, 1998
and 2002, 4 Champions Trophy Tournaments (held in 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2003),
and 4 Asian Games (held in 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002). He also served as the
Captain of the Indian Hockey team for some time, and led the team to victory in
Asian Games 1998 and Asia Cup Hockey 2003. Dhanraj was the highest goal scorer
in the Hockey event at Bangkok Asian Games 1998, and has been the only Indian
player to appear in the World Eleven team at Sydney World Cup Tournament 1994.
As an honour to his extra-ordinary talent devotion towards the game of Hockey
and his contribution to be nation through his efforts made in the game, the
highest sporting honor of India, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna was bestowed upon
Dhanraj Pillay by the Government of India for the year 1999-2000, and was
honored by the Padma Shri award in 2000. At the Champions Trophy tournament
2002 held at Cologne, Germany, he was named the Player of the Tournament.
National games of different countries:-
|
S.No.
|
Country
|
Capital
|
National game
|
|
1.
|
India
|
New Delhi
|
Hockey
|
|
2.
|
Pakistan
|
Islamabad
|
Hockey
|
|
3.
|
Spain
|
Madrid
|
Bulls Fighting
|
|
4.
|
Guyana
|
Georgetown
|
Cricket
|
|
5.
|
Australia
|
Canberra
|
Cricket
|
|
6.
|
England
|
London
|
Cricket
|
|
7.
|
Jamaica
|
Kingston
|
Cricket
|
|
8.
|
Bermuda
|
Hamilton
|
Cricket
|
|
9.
|
China
|
Beijing
|
Table Tennis
|
|
10.
|
Russia
|
Moscow
|
Football and Chess
|
|
11.
|
Brazil
|
Brasília
|
Football
|
|
12.
|
France
|
Paris
|
Football
|
|
13.
|
Mauritius
|
Port
Louis
|
Football
|
|
14.
|
Italy
|
Rome
|
Football
|
|
15.
|
New Zealand
|
Wellington
|
Rugby Union
|
|
16.
|
Wales
|
Cardiff
|
Rugby union
|
|
17.
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala
Lumpur
|
Badminton
|
|
18.
|
Indonesia
|
Jakarta
|
Badminton
|
|
19.
|
Switzerland
|
Bern
|
Shooting, Gymnastic
|
|
20.
|
Bangladesh
|
Dhaka
|
Kabaddi
|
|
21.
|
Bhutan
|
Thimphu
|
Archery
|
|
22.
|
Japan
|
Tokyo
|
Judo
|
|
23.
|
Venezuela
|
Caracas
|
Volleyball
|
|
24.
|
Srilanka
|
Colombo
|
Volley ball
|
|
25.
|
USA
|
Washington DC
|
Baseball
|
|
26.
|
Cuba
|
Havana
|
Baseball
|
|
27.
|
Lithuania
|
Vilnius
|
Basketball
|
|
28.
|
Estonia
|
Tallinn
|
Basketball
|
|
29.
|
Latvia
|
Riga
|
Basketball (summer
sport)
Ice hockey (winter
sport)
|
|
30.
|
Scotland
|
Edinburgh
|
Golf
|
|
31.
|
Norway
|
Oslo
|
Cross-country skiing
|
|
32.
|
Canada
|
Ottawa
|
Ice Hockey
|
List of Indian National Trophies and awards with
associated games and sports:
Games/Sports
|
Trophies/Awards
|
Hockey
|
Ranjit Singh Gold
Cup
|
Hockey
|
Agha Khan Cup
|
Hockey
|
All-India Women’s Guru
Nanak Championship
|
Hockey
|
Beighton Cup
|
Hockey
|
Bombay Gold Cup
|
Hockey
|
Rene Frank
Trophy
|
Hockey
|
Scindia Gold Cup
|
Hockey
|
Sahni Trophy
|
Hockey
|
Tommy Eman Gold
Cup
|
Hockey
|
Murugappa Gold
Cup
|
Hockey
|
Modi Gold Cup
|
Hockey
|
Gurmeet Trophy
|
Hockey
|
Gura Nanak Cup
|
Hockey
|
Gyanuati Devi
Trophy
|
Hockey
|
Dhyan Chand
Trophy
|
Hockey
|
lndira Gold Cup
|
Hockey
|
Rangaswami Cup
|
Hockey
|
Kuppuswamy Naidu
Trophy
|
Hockey
|
Lady Rattan Tata
Trophy
|
Hockey
|
MCC Trophy
|
Hockey
|
Nehru Trophy
|
Hockey
|
Obaid Ullah Gold
Cup
|
Football
|
Raghbir Singh
Memorial
|
Football
|
Durand Cup
|
Football
|
D. C. M. Cup
|
Football
|
Dr. B. C. Roy Trophy
(Junior)
|
Football
|
Rovers Cup
|
Football
|
Sanjay Gold Cup
|
Football
|
Santosh Trophy
|
Football
|
Sir Ashutosh
Mukherjee
|
Football
|
Subroto Cup
|
Football
|
Todd Memorial
Trophy
|
Football
|
Vittal Trophy
|
Football
|
Nixan Gold Cup
|
Football
|
I. F. A. Shield
|
Football
|
F. A. Cup
|
Football
|
Bandodkar Trophy
|
Football
|
Chakoia Gold
Trophy
|
Cricket
|
G. D. Birla
Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Ghulam Ahmed
Trophy
|
Cricket
|
lrani Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Rohinton Baria
Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Sheesh Mahal Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Moinuddaula Gold Cup
|
Cricket
|
Vizzy Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Vijay Merchant Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Wills Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Rani Jhansi Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Ranjit Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Deodhar Trophy
|
Cricket
|
Duleep Trophy
|
Cricket
|
C. K. Naydu Trophy
|
Athletics
|
Charminar Trophy
|
Badminton
|
Chadha Cup
|
Table Tennis
|
Barna-Bellack Cup
|
Table Tennis
|
Ramanujan Trophy
|
Tennis
|
Rajendra Prasad Cup
|
Air Racing
|
Jawaharlal Challenge
|
Best Services Sportsman
|
Jaswant Singh Trophy
|
Weight-lifting
|
Burdwan Trophy
|
Badminton
|
Divan Cup
|
Badminton
|
Agarwal Cup
|
Badminton
|
Narang Cup
|
Bridge
|
Holkar Trophy
|
Rowing
|
Wellington Trophy
|
Basketball
|
Bangalore Blues Challenge Cup
|
Polo
|
Radha Mohan Cup
|
Polo
|
Prithi Singh Cup
|
Polo
|
Ezra Cup
|
