Overview

Hockey is the oldest known ball and stick game: records exist of it being played in Persia in 2000 BC. The name “hockey” probably derives from the French “hocquet”, or shepherd’s crook, and refers to the crooked stick which is used to hit a small ball.

Hockey for men first appeared on the Olympic programme in 1908, was absent until 1920, then has remained on the programme ever since. In 1980, women’s hockey was first introduced as an Olympic

sport. The women originally competed in an 8-team tournament but this was increased to ten from 1996.

Teams are placed into two pools of six for the men and five for the women. Each team plays the other teams in that pool. The top two teams in each pool proceed to the semi-finals. The remaining teams play classification matches for fifth place and lower. Semi-final winners play for the gold and silver medals. Semi-final losers play for the bronze.