Field hockey at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Field hockey at the Summer Olympics |
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| Governing body | FIH |
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) |
| Games | |
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Field hockey is a team sport played with a stick and a ball. It became an Olympic sport for men at the 1908 Games in London. The Indian men's team has been the most successful in Olympic field hockey. They have won a total of 12 medals, including 8 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals.
Contents
History of Olympic Field Hockey
Field hockey was not played at the 1924 Paris Games. This was because there wasn't a strong international sports group for it yet. To fix this, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) was created in Paris that same year. After that, men's field hockey became a regular sport at the Olympics, starting with the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.
The Indian men's team was incredibly strong for many years. They won gold medals in seven out of eight Olympics from 1928 to 1964. Later, the Pakistan men's team also became very dominant. They won three gold and three silver medals between 1956 and 1984. India's strong run ended after the 1980s, and Pakistan's after the 1990s. India's last gold medal was in 1980, and Pakistan's was in 1984. However, India did win a bronze medal in the 2020 Games.
Since 1968, many different teams from around the world have won gold medals. Teams from the Southern Hemisphere like Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Zimbabwe have won various medals. From the Northern Hemisphere, the Netherlands and Germany have also been very successful.
Spain has competed in the most men's Olympic field hockey tournaments without winning a gold medal. They have won silver three times (in 1980, 1996, and 2008) and bronze once (in 1960). The Australian men's team played in 12 Olympics before finally winning their first gold medal in 2004.
The first Olympic field hockey competition for women was held at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Before 1976, field hockey was played on grass. But at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, games were first played on artificial turf. This made the game faster and more consistent.
Until the 1988 Olympics, teams were invited to play. But for the 1992 Games, the FIH started a qualification system. This meant teams had to earn their spot. The Netherlands is the top team overall in field hockey medals. They have 18 medals (6 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze). India still holds the record for the most gold medals in men's field hockey (8).
Men's Olympic Field Hockey Results
This section shows the results of the men's field hockey tournaments at the Olympic Games. You can see which teams won gold, silver, and bronze medals each year.
Men's Tournament Results
| Year | Host | Gold medal match | Bronze medal match | Number of teams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold medal | Score | Silver medal | Bronze medal | Score | Fourth place | ||||||
| 1908 Details |
London, Great Britain |  Great Britain (England) |
8–1 | Great Britain (Ireland) |
Great Britain (Scotland) Great Britain (Wales) |
6 | |||||
| 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | No tournament | No tournament | ||||||||
| 1920 Details |
Antwerp, Belgium | Great Britain |
 Denmark |
 Belgium |
 France |
4 | |||||
| 1924 | Paris, France | No tournament | No tournament | ||||||||
| 1928 Details |
Amsterdam, Netherlands |  India |
3–0 |  Netherlands |
 Germany |
3–0 | Belgium |
9 | |||
| 1932 Details |
Los Angeles, United States | India |
 Japan |
 United States |
3 | ||||||
| 1936 Details |
Berlin, Germany | India |
8–1 |  Germany |
Netherlands |
4–3 | France |
11 | |||
| 1948 Details |
London, Great Britain |  India |
4–0 | Great Britain |
Netherlands |
1–1 4–1 (Replay) |
 Pakistan |
13 | |||
| 1952 Details |
Helsinki, Finland | India |
6–1 | Netherlands |
Great Britain |
2–1 | Pakistan |
12 | |||
| 1956 Details |
Melbourne, Australia | India |
1–0 | Pakistan |
 United Team of Germany |
3–1 | Great Britain |
12 | |||
| 1960 Details |
Rome, Italy | Pakistan |
1–0 | India |
 Spain |
2–1 | Great Britain |
16 | |||
| 1964 Details |
Tokyo, Japan | India |
1–0 | Pakistan |
 Australia |
3–2 after extra time |
Spain |
15 | |||
| 1968 Details |
Mexico City, Mexico | Pakistan |
2–1 | Australia |
India |
2–1 | West Germany |
16 | |||
| 1972 Details |
Munich, West Germany | West Germany |
1–0 | Pakistan |
India |
2–1 | Netherlands |
16 | |||
| 1976 Details |
Montreal, Canada |  New Zealand |
1–0 | Australia |
Pakistan |
3–2 | Netherlands |
11 | |||
| 1980 Details |
Moscow, Soviet Union | India |
4–3 |  Spain |
 Soviet Union |
2–1 |  Poland |
6 | |||
| 1984 Details |
Los Angeles, United States | Pakistan |
2–1 after extra time |
West Germany |
Great Britain |
3–2 | Australia |
12 | |||
| 1988 Details |
Seoul, South Korea | Great Britain |
3–1 | West Germany |
Netherlands |
2–1 | Australia |
12 | |||
| 1992 Details |
Barcelona, Spain | Germany |
2–1 | Australia |
Pakistan |
4–3 | Netherlands |
12 | |||
| 1996 Details |
Atlanta, United States | Netherlands |
3–1 |  Spain |
Australia |
3–2 | Germany |
12 | |||
| 2000 Details |
Sydney, Australia | Netherlands |
3–3 (5–4) Penalty strokes |
 South Korea |
Australia |
6–3 | Pakistan |
12 | |||
| 2004 Details |
Athens, Greece | Australia |
2–1 after extra time |
Netherlands |
Germany |
4–3 after extra time |
Spain |
12 | |||
| 2008 Details |
Beijing, China | Germany |
1–0 | Spain |
Australia |
6–2 | Netherlands |
12 | |||
| 2012 Details |
London, Great Britain | Germany |
2–1 | Netherlands |
Australia |
3–1 | Great Britain |
12 | |||
| 2016 Details |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Argentina |
4–2 | Belgium |
Germany |
1–1 (4–3) Penalty shootout |
Netherlands |
12 | |||
| 2020 Details |
Tokyo, Japan | Belgium |
1–1 (3–2) Penalty shootout |
Australia |
India |
5–4 | Germany |
12 | |||
| 2024 Details |
12 | ||||||||||
Men's Medal Table
This table shows how many gold, silver, and bronze medals each country has won in men's Olympic field hockey.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India |
8 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 2 |  Pakistan |
3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 |  Great Britain |
3 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 4 |  Germany |
3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 |  Netherlands |
2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 |  Australia |
1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 7 | West Germany |
1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 |  Belgium |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 |  Argentina |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 New Zealand |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 |  Spain |
0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 |  Denmark |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Japan |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 South Korea |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 |  Soviet Union |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 United States |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 United Team of Germany |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (17 entries) | 24 | 24 | 25 | 73 | |
Men's Top Four Teams
This table highlights the teams that have finished in the top four places in men's Olympic field hockey tournaments.
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India |
8 (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980) | 1 (1960) | 3 (1968, 1972, 2020) | |
| Germany |
4 (1972*, 1992, 2008, 2012) | 3 (1936*, 1984, 1988) | 4 (1928, 1956, 2004, 2016) | 3 (1968, 1996, 2020) |
| Pakistan |
3 (1960, 1968, 1984) | 3 (1956, 1964, 1972) | 2 (1976, 1992) | 3 (1948, 1952, 2000) |
| Great Britain |
3 (1908*, 1920, 1988) | 2 (1908*, 1948*) | 4 (1908*, 1908*, 1952, 1984) | 3 (1956, 1960, 2012*) |
| Netherlands |
2 (1996, 2000) | 4 (1928*, 1952, 2004, 2012) | 3 (1936, 1948, 1988) | 5 (1972, 1976, 1992, 2008, 2016) |
| Australia |
1 (2004) | 4 (1968, 1976, 1992, 2020) | 5 (1964, 1996, 2000*, 2008, 2012) | 2 (1984, 1988) |
| Belgium |
1 (2020) | 1 (2016) | 1 (1920*) | 1 (1928) |
| New Zealand |
1 (1976) | |||
| Argentina |
1 (2016) | |||
| Spain |
3 (1980, 1996, 2008) | 1 (1960) | 2 (1964, 2004) | |
| Denmark |
1 (1920) | |||
| Japan |
1 (1932) | |||
| South Korea |
1 (2000) | |||
| United States |
1 (1932*) | |||
| Soviet Union |
1 (1980*) | |||
 France |
2 (1920, 1936) | |||
 Poland |
1 (1980) |
- * = host nation
Men's Team Appearances
This table shows which men's teams have played in each Olympic field hockey tournament.
| Team | 1908 |
1920 |
1928 |
 1932 |
 1936 |
1948 |
 1952 |
1956 |
 1960 |
1964 |
 1968 |
1972 |
 1976 |
1980 |
1984 |
 1988 |
1992 |
1996 |
2000 |
 2004 |
 2008 |
2012 |
 2016 |
2020 |
2024 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Afghanistan |
– | – | – | – | 6th | 8th | – | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Argentina |
– | – | – | – | – | 5th | – | – | – | – | 14th | 14th | 11th | – | – | 8th | 11th | 9th | 8th | 11th | – | 10th | 1st | 7th | Q | 13 |
| Australia |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5th | 6th | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | 2nd | – | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | 2nd | Q | 17 |
 Austria |
– | – | 9th | – | – | 8th | 7th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Belgium |
– | 3rd | 4th | – | 9th | 5th | 9th | 7th | 11th | 11th | 9th | 10th | 9th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9th | 5th | 2nd | 1st | Q | 16 |
| Brazil |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | 1 |
| Canada |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13th | – | – | 10th | – | 12th | 11th | – | – | 10th | – | 10th | – | 11th | 12th | – | 8 |
| China |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 CIS |
– | 10th | Defunct | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Cuba |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Denmark |
– | 2nd | 5th | – | 10th | 11th | – | – | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
 East Germany |
– | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | Defunct | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
 Egypt |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
 England |
1st | Part of Great Britain | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finland |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 9th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| France |
6th | 4th | 5th | – | 4th | 8th | 11th | – | 10th | – | 10th | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Q | 10 |
| Germany |
5th | – | 3rd | – | 2nd | – | 5th | – | 1st | 4th | 5th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 4th | Q | 13 | ||||||||
| Great Britain |
– | 1st | – | – | – | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 9th | 12th | 6th | – | – | 3rd | 1st | 6th | 7th | 6th | 9th | 5th | 4th | 9th | 5th | Q | 19 |
 Hong Kong |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Hungary |
– | – | – | – | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| India |
– | – | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | 3rd | 7th | 1st | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 7th | – | 12th | 8th | 3rd | Q | 22 | |
 Ireland |
2nd | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | Q | 3 |
| Italy |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | 13th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Japan |
– | – | – | 2nd | 7th | – | – | – | 14th | 7th | 13th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | 6 |
 Kenya |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | 7th | 6th | 8th | 13th | – | – | 9th | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 |
 Malaysia |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9th | – | 9th | 15th | 8th | 8th | – | 10th | – | 9th | 11th | 11th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 |
| Mexico |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16th | 16th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Netherlands |
– | – | 2nd | – | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | – | 9th | 7th | 5th | 4th | 4th | – | 6th | 3rd | 4th | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 4th | 6th | Q | 20 |
| New Zealand |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | 5th | 13th | 7th | 9th | 1st | – | 7th | – | 8th | – | – | 6th | 7th | 9th | 7th | 9th | Q | 14 |
| Pakistan |
– | – | – | – | – | 4th | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | – | 1st | 5th | 3rd | 6th | 4th | 5th | 8th | 7th | – | – | – | 16 |
| Poland |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | – | 12th | – | – | 11th | – | 4th | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
 Rhodesia |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | Defunct | 1 | ||||||||||||||
 Scotland |
3rd | Part of Great Britain | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Singapore |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 South Africa |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | 10th | 12th | 11th | – | 10th | Q | 6 |
| South Korea |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | 5th | 2nd | 8th | 6th | 8th | – | – | – | 6 |
| Soviet Union# |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3rd | – | 7th | Defunct | 2 | ||||||||
| Spain |
– | – | 7th | – | – | 11th | – | – | 3rd | 4th | 6th | 7th | 6th | 2nd | 8th | 9th | 5th | 2nd | 9th | 4th | 2nd | 6th | 5th | 8th | Q | 19 |
 Switzerland |
– | – | 7th | – | 5th | 5th | 7th | – | 15th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
 Tanzania |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Uganda |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| United States |
– | – | – | 3rd | 11th | 11th | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | – | – | 12th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| United Team of Germany |
– | 3rd | 7th | 5th | Defunct | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Wales |
3rd | Part of Great Britain | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Germany |
– | 4th | 1st | 5th | – | 2nd | 2nd | Defunct | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 6 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
- # = states or teams that have since split into two or more independent nations
A total of 45 men's teams have competed in at least one Olympic Games.
Men's Team Debuts
This table shows when each men's team first appeared in the Olympic field hockey tournament.
| Year | Debuting teams | Successor and renamed teams |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | No. | CT | ||
| 1908 | England,  France,  Germany,  Ireland, Scotland,  Wales |
6 | 6 | |
| 1920 | Belgium, Denmark |
2 | 8 | Great Britain |
| 1928 | Austria,  India, Netherlands,  Spain, Switzerland |
5 | 13 | |
| 1932 |  Japan, United States |
2 | 15 | |
| 1936 |  Afghanistan,  Hungary |
2 | 17 | |
| 1948 | Argentina, Pakistan |
2 | 19 | |
| 1952 | Finland, Italy,  Poland |
3 | 22 | |
| 1956 | Australia,  Kenya,  Malaya, New Zealand,  Singapore |
5 | 27 | United Team of Germany |
| 1960 | No debuts | 0 | 27 | |
| 1964 |  Canada,  Hong Kong, Rhodesia |
3 | 30 | Malaysia |
| 1968 | East Germany,  Mexico |
2 | 32 | West Germany |
| 1972 | Uganda |
1 | 33 | |
| 1976 | No debuts | 0 | 33 | |
| 1980 | Cuba, Soviet Union, Tanzania |
3 | 36 | |
| 1984 | No debuts | 0 | 36 | |
| 1988 | South Korea |
1 | 37 | |
| 1992 | Egypt |
1 | 38 | Germany,  CIS |
| 1996 | South Africa |
1 | 39 | |
| 2000 | No debuts | 0 | 39 | |
| 2004 | No debuts | 0 | 39 | |
| 2008 | China |
1 | 40 | |
| 2012 | No debuts | 0 | 40 | |
| 2016 | Brazil |
1 | 41 | |
| 2020 | No debuts | 0 | 41 | |
| 2024 | No debuts | 0 | 41 | |
Women's Olympic Field Hockey Results
This section shows the results of the women's field hockey tournaments at the Olympic Games.
Women's Tournament Results
| Year | Host | Gold medal match | Bronze medal match | Number of teams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold medal | Score | Silver medal | Bronze medal | Score | Fourth place | ||||||
| 1980 Details |
Moscow, Soviet Union |  Zimbabwe |
 Czechoslovakia |
Soviet Union |
India |
6 | |||||
| 1984 Details |
Los Angeles, United States | Netherlands |
West Germany |
 United States |
(10–5) Penalty strokes |
Australia |
6 | ||||
| 1988 Details |
Seoul, South Korea | Australia |
2–0 |  South Korea |
Netherlands |
3–1 | Great Britain |
8 | |||
| 1992 Details |
Barcelona, Spain | Spain |
2–1 after extra time |
Germany |
Great Britain |
4–3 | South Korea |
8 | |||
| 1996 Details |
Atlanta, United States | Australia |
3–1 | South Korea |
Netherlands |
0–0 (4–3) Penalty strokes |
Great Britain |
8 | |||
| 2000 Details |
Sydney, Australia | Australia |
3–1 | Argentina |
Netherlands |
2–0 | Spain |
10 | |||
| 2004 Details |
Athens, Greece | Germany |
2–1 | Netherlands |
Argentina |
1–0 |  China |
10 | |||
| 2008 Details |
Beijing, China | Netherlands |
2–0 | China |
Argentina |
3–1 | Germany |
12 | |||
| 2012 Details |
London, Great Britain | Netherlands |
2–0 | Argentina |
Great Britain |
3–1 | New Zealand |
12 | |||
| 2016 Details |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Great Britain |
3–3 (2–0) Penalty shootout |
Netherlands |
Germany |
2–1 | New Zealand |
12 | |||
| 2020 Details |
Tokyo, Japan | Netherlands |
3–1 | Argentina |
Great Britain |
4–3 | India |
12 | |||
| 2024 Details |
12 | ||||||||||
Women's Medal Table
This table shows how many gold, silver, and bronze medals each country has won in women's Olympic field hockey.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands |
4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | Australia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Germany |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Great Britain |
1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Spain |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Zimbabwe |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | Argentina |
0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 | South Korea |
0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | China |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Czechoslovakia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| West Germany |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | Soviet Union |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| United States |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (13 entries) | 11 | 11 | 11 | 33 | |
Women's Top Four Teams
This table highlights the teams that have finished in the top four places in women's Olympic field hockey tournaments.
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands |
4 (1984, 2008, 2012, 2020) | 2 (2004, 2016) | 3 (1988, 1996, 2000) | |
| Australia |
3 (1988, 1996, 2000*) | 1 (1984) | ||
| Germany |
1 (2004) | 2 (1984, 1992) | 1 (2016) | 1 (2008) |
| Great Britain |
1 (2016) | 3 (1992, 2012*, 2020) | 2 (1988, 1996) | |
| Spain |
1 (1992*) | 1 (2000) | ||
| Zimbabwe |
1 (1980) | |||
| Argentina |
3 (2000, 2012, 2020) | 2 (2004, 2008) | ||
| South Korea |
2 (1988*, 1996) | 1 (1992) | ||
| China |
1 (2008*) | 1 (2004) | ||
| Czechoslovakia |
1 (1980) | |||
| Soviet Union |
1 (1980*) | |||
| United States |
1 (1984*) | |||
| India |
2 (1980, 2020) | |||
| New Zealand |
2 (2012, 2016) |
- * = host nation
Women's Team Appearances
This table shows which women's teams have played in each Olympic field hockey tournament.
| Team | 1980 |
1984 |
1988 |
1992 |
1996 |
2000 |
2004 |
2008 |
2012 |
2016 |
2020 |
2024 |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
– | – | 7th | – | 7th | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 7th | 2nd | Q | 9 |
| Australia |
– | 4th | 1st | 5th | 1st | 1st | 5th | 5th | 5th | 6th | 5th | Q | 11 |
| Austria |
5th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Belgium |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11th | – | – | Q | 2 |
| Canada |
– | 5th | 6th | 7th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| China |
– | – | – | – | – | 5th | 4th | 2nd | 6th | 9th | 9th | Q | 7 |
| Czechoslovakia# |
2nd | – | – | – | Defunct | 1 | |||||||
| France |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Q | 1 |
| Germany |
– | 2nd | 6th | 7th | 1st | 4th | 7th | 3rd | 6th | Q | 9 | ||
| Great Britain |
– | – | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 8th | – | 6th | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | Q | 9 |
| India |
4th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 12th | 4th | – | 3 |
| Ireland |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10th | – | 1 |
| Japan |
– | – | – | – | – | – | 8th | 10th | 9th | 10th | 11th | Q | 6 |
| Netherlands |
– | 1st | 3rd | 6th | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | Q | 11 |
| New Zealand |
– | 6th | – | 8th | – | 6th | 6th | 12th | 4th | 4th | 8th | – | 8 |
| Poland |
6th | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| South Africa |
– | – | – | – | – | 10th | 9th | 11th | 10th | – | 12th | Q | 6 |
| South Korea |
– | – | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | 9th | 7th | 9th | 8th | 11th | – | – | 8 |
| Soviet Union# |
3rd | – | – | Defunct | 1 | ||||||||
| Spain |
– | – | – | 1st | 8th | 4th | 10th | 7th | – | 8th | 7th | Q | 8 |
| United States |
– | 3rd | 8th | – | 5th | – | – | 8th | 12th | 5th | – | Q | 7 |
| West Germany |
– | 2nd | 5th | Defunct | 2 | ||||||||
| Zimbabwe |
1st | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
- # = states that have since split into two or more independent nations
Australia and the Netherlands are the only women's teams that have played in almost every Olympic Games, missing only one each. A total of 23 women's teams have competed in at least one Olympic Games.
Women's Team Debuts
This table shows when each women's team first appeared in the Olympic field hockey tournament.
| Year | Debuting teams | Successor and renamed teams |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | No. | CT | ||
| 1980 | Austria, Czechoslovakia *, India, Poland, Soviet Union *, Zimbabwe |
6 | 6 | |
| 1984 | Australia, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, United States, West Germany * |
6 | 12 | |
| 1988 | Argentina, Great Britain, South Korea |
3 | 15 | |
| 1992 | Spain |
1 | 16 | Germany |
| 1996 | No debuts | 0 | 16 | |
| 2000 | China, South Africa |
2 | 18 | |
| 2004 | No debuts | 0 | 18 | |
| 2008 | Japan |
1 | 19 | |
| 2012 | Belgium |
1 | 20 | |
| 2016 | No debuts | 0 | 20 | |
| 2020 | Ireland |
1 | 21 | |
| 2024 | France |
1 | 22 | |
- * = Defunct Team
Total Medal Table
This table combines the medals won by both men's and women's teams in Olympic field hockey.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India (IND) |
8 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 2 |  Netherlands (NED) |
6 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
| 3 |  Australia (AUS) |
4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| 4 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
4 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| 5 |  Germany (GER) |
4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| 6 |  Pakistan (PAK) |
3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 7 |  Argentina (ARG) |
1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 |  Spain (ESP) |
1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 9 | West Germany (FRG) |
1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 |  Belgium (BEL) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 |  New Zealand (NZL) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Zimbabwe (ZIM) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 |  South Korea (KOR) |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 14 |  China (CHN) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Czechoslovakia (TCH) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Denmark (DEN) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Japan (JPN) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 |  Soviet Union (URS) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 United States (USA) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 20 |  United Team of Germany (EUA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (20 entries) | 35 | 35 | 36 | 106 | |
See also
In Spanish: Hockey sobre césped en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
