How did the Indian hockey team perform at 1972 Olympics?
The hockey events at the 1972 Olympics in Munich were played from August 27 to September 10. The Hockey Grounds at München's Olympic Park served as the host to all the games.
The Indian side was placed along with the Netherlands, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Kenya, and Mexico in Pool B. They were led by experienced campaigner, Harmik Singh.
In their first game, India played out a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, with Ashok Kumar being the lone scorer. Then, the Indian team secured a sensational 5-0 victory over Great Britain, with Mukhbain Singh scoring three goals, and Michael Kindo and Harmik accounting for one each.
The third game witnessed India continuing their good form with a 3-1 victory over the Australian team. Mukhbain was terrific yet again by scoring all three goals for the side.
In their fourth fixture against Poland, India had to settle for a 2-2 draw, with Harmik and Billimoga Puttaswamy Govinda scoring one goal each. Thereafter, India secured a 3-2 victory over Kenya, with Mukhbain scoring a brace and Harmik scoring the other goal.
The sixth fixture witnessed India hammering Mexico 8-0, with Kulwant Singh scoring three goals. In the final game, the Indian team produced an impressive showing by winning 3-2 against New Zealand. Mollera Poovaiah Ganesh, Kindo, and Kulwant scored the goals for the team.
After being unbeaten in group stages, India finished at the top of the table with five victories in seven games and qualified for the semifinals.
India's momentum was halted as the Olympics was halted for two days after the terrorists attacked the Israeli athletes. The Indian team failed to continue their good run and lost 0-2 to their arch-rivals Pakistan in the semifinals. Surprisingly, they failed to convert as many as 18 penalty corners.
Nevertheless, India bounced back with a 2-1 victory over the Dutch side to secure a bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics. It was their 10th consecutive medal at the Games.
Controversy erupted as West Germany beat Pakistan in the 1972 Olympics
In the final encounter, Pakistan, who beat India, met West Germany, who were coming off a 3-0 victory against the Netherlands.
The fixture between both sides saw Pakistan players protesting many decisions by umpires and officials, while their fans also stormed to the field to halt the game. West Germany went on to secure a 1-0 victory and win the gold medal in the 1972 Olympics. However, after the final whistle, there was an ultimate ruckus on the ground by the fans and the players destroyed the locker room as well.
Moreover, after turning back on West Germany's flag, 11 Pakistani players were banned for life. However, their ban was ultimately reduced to two years.