Buoyant Aussies look to dominate landmark Olympics

FE Team | Published: August 05, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

BEIJING, Aug 4 (AFP): Resurgent Australia hope to defend their gold medal against a strong field in Beijing as men's hockey celebrates 100 years at the Olympics but with former masters India missing the landmark event.

The Kookaburras, who won their first Olympic gold at Athens four years ago, reclaimed the number one ranking at Germany's expense by lifting the elite Champions Trophy in the Netherlands in June.

The victory revived Australia, who had struggled to build on their Olympic success after losing to Germany in the final of both the 2006 World Cup and the 2007 Champions Trophy.

But Australia coach Barry Dancer said the tag of being the world's number one team would mean little when the 12-nation competition, expected to be one of the closest in the sport's history, opens in Beijing.

"Teams such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain are all quality teams who, along with a number of other countries, are all capable of winning gold at Beijing.

"But in saying that, the Australian team has shown steady signs of improvement throughout the last six months and deserve whatever praise comes their way."

Field hockey was first played at the Summer Games in London in 1908 with six teams drawn from England, Ireland and Scotland, but it was not until the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928 it became a regular medal sport.

India reigned supreme on grass with six consecutive titles from 1928 to 1956 and two more in Tokyo in 1964 and Moscow in 1980.

But with the switch to astroturf, they have fallen on such hard times that they failed to qualify for Beijing.

The Indians will miss the Olympics for the first time after losing to Great Britain in a qualifying tournament in Chile in April, adding to the misery of a failed Asian Games campaign in Doha in 2006.

"No one wanted to see India out of the Olympics but the reality is that the best 12 nations have qualified for Beijing," said International Hockey Federation chief Els van Breda Vriesman.