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The centenary celebrations of Indian hockey kicked disconnected astatine the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium aboriginal connected Friday greeting and was mirrored crossed the state with Hockey India, Sports Authority of India and the Sports Ministry coming unneurotic to people the landmark occasion.
The celebrations marked a period of sporting excellence, pride, and unity, honouring the travel of Indian hockey from its beginnings successful 1925 done the debased points and resurgence successful the modern epoch with sporting and philharmonic performances.
With some the men’s and women’s nationalist teams successful attendance on with their coaches, a 30-minute accumulation lucifer betwixt the Sports Minister’s XI led by Mansukh Mandaviya and Hockey India XI led by Hockey India president and erstwhile skipper Dilip Tirkey acceptable the shot rolling. It was besides possibly the archetypal clip the men and women played together. More amusive than competition, the lucifer saw SM XI triumph 3-1.
Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, erstwhile hockey subordinate and president of Hockey India Dilip Tirkey, and others during an lawsuit to celebrat 100 years of Indian Hockey, astatine the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, successful New Delhi connected Friday. November 7, 2025. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
“The athletics has seen galore phases, and it was done hockey astatine the Olympics that we showed the satellite what India tin execute successful sports. Indian hockey is erstwhile again rising and moving towards different Olympic medal. The authorities volition proceed to enactment our players and the athletics successful each imaginable way,” Mandaviya said.
“It is an honour for maine to basal astatine the precise stadium wherever I attended my archetypal campy arsenic a young hopeful and played my archetypal large tournament. Today is simply a tribute to those who laid the instauration for Indian hockey and to each subordinate who has brought glory to the nation,” Tirkey added.
The FIH was represented by its president Tayyab Ikram who besides tried his manus astatine taking a fewer hits connected the ground. “Over the past century, India has not lone excelled successful the athletics but has profoundly shaped its spirit, style, and planetary identity.
“India has led the mode successful satellite hockey done 100 years of resilience and innovation. India’s resurgence successful the Tokyo and Paris Olympics shows its strength, and I americium assured the adjacent 100 years volition beryllium adjacent brighter for Indian hockey.”
Hockey India besides felicitated immoderate of the game’s legends for their contributions to the athletics including Gurbux Singh, Harbinder Singh, Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar, B.P. Govinda, Aslam Sher Khan, Zafar Iqbal, Brigadier Harcharan Singh, Vineet Kumar, Romeo James, Asunta Lakra and Subhadra Pradhan among others.
A commemorative publication titled 100 Years of Indian Hockey connected the travel done the ages was besides unveiled on with a specially-curated photograph accumulation providing a ocular glimpse into Indian hockey’s improvement done archival photographs, Olympic moments, and memorabilia from the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics to the contiguous day. There was besides a show by vocalist and composer Siddharth Mahadevan.
The celebrations besides had the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 trophy connected show arsenic it began its 20-city nationwide circuit that would culminate successful Chennai astatine the extremity of this period to coincide with the opening of the tournament.
Others contiguous included the Minister of Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and respective erstwhile India players crossed generations.
