INDIA AT OLYMPICS

Despite being under British rule until 1947, India competed in the Olympic Games independently from the British team.

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Before Independence

India’s first athlete participated in the Summer Olympics in 1900, but it wasn’t until 1920 that a national team was sent. Sir Dorabji Tata and George Lloyd, the Governor of Bombay, played key roles in securing India’s representation at the International Olympic Committee, allowing the country to participate in the 1920 Games. The Indian delegation in 1920 included three athletes, two wrestlers, and managers Sohrab Bhoot and A. H. A. Fyzee.

The Indian Olympic movement began to take shape during the 1920s, with significant contributions from figures like Dorabji Tata, A.G. Noehren, H.C. Buck, Moinul Haq, S. Bhoot, A.S. Bhagwat, and Guru Dutt Sondhi. Prominent patrons included Maharajas and royal princes such as Bhupinder Singh of Patiala and Ranjitsinhji of Nawanagar.

In 1923, a provisional All India Olympic Committee was formed, and in February 1924, the All India Olympic Games (which later became the National Games of India) were held to select a team for the Paris Olympics. The 1924 delegation included seven athletes, seven tennis players, and team manager Harry Buck. By 1927, the Indian Olympic Committee had become the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Its main tasks were to promote sports in India, choose host cities for the national games, and send teams to the Summer Olympics. At the 1928 national games, the IOA selected seven athletes for the Summer Olympics, with Sondhi as manager. The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was also established by this time and sent a hockey team to the Olympics.

The Golden Era