India’s Olympic odyssey: From 1912 Stockholm discussions to bidding for 2036
These documents, a few of which are being reprinted for our readers, reveal a series of letters exchanged between the British Olympic Association, the International Olympic Committee and the India Office, discussing the prospects of Indian participation at the 1912 Olympics.
Had this participation happened, India would have been among the first Asian countries to embrace the Olympic movement, alongside Japan, which established a national Olympic Committee in 1911 before participating in the 1912 competition.
The exchange of letters did not abate after the 1912 Games. Instead, the frequency of the letters increased as all sides focused on the prospects of India’s participation at the 1916 Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in Berlin. However, these Games were eventually cancelled due to the outbreak of the First World War.
India eventually participated in the 1920 Games and, under the patronage of Sir Dorab Tata, sent a handful of athletes to the 1924 Games in Paris. While these athletes did reasonably well, none were in contention for a medal.
The first medal, a gold, was won at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. It was during this tour that Dhyan Chand established himself as the premier star of Indian hockey. For Chand, an enlisted sepoy in the Army and a man not born into privilege, the opportunity to represent India was an unexpected windfall.
Men’s hockey debuted at the 1908 London Games, returned in 1920 in Antwerp, and has been a fixture since the 1928 Amsterdam Games. Jaipal Singh, an Oxford student from
