n this Olympic year, we now highlight the 1948 Indian Olympic hockey team.

The first sporting achievement of independent India was the 1948 Olympic hockey gold medal.

En route to the final, India beat Austria 8-0, Argentina 9-1, Spain 2-0, and in the semi-finals, Holland 2-1.

The 1948 final marked the first time that India met Britain in an Olympic hockey match. India beat Britain 4-0 in this long awaited meeting to win its fourth consecutive gold medal.

Balbir Singh Sr. (Punjab Police) was the find of independent India as a centre-forward. He scored both the first half goals for India, while Pat Jansen and Trilochan Singh (penalty corner) shared the other two.

After the victory, V. K. Krishna Menon, free India's first High Commissioner to England, gave an official reception at India House. The victorious Indian team went on a goodwill tour of the European mainland - visiting France, Czechoslavakia and Switzerland.

The team returned by ship to Bombay, where a red carpet welcome was given to the team. The victory celebrations culminated in Delhi, where President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru attended a match involving the Olympic team at the jam packed National Stadium.

Photo Courtesy : Wills Book of Excellence - Hockey

o you recognise the person with the white mustache? None other than the reigning king of men's tennis - Pete Sampras.

The advertisement is part of well known Got Milk? media campaign, featuring a host of sports and entertainment celebrities. The advertisements were commissioned by USA's Dairy Development Board to promote milk as a healthy lifestyle choice.

Pat Bostock is this edition's Visitor of the Month. This was Pat's comments to the Indian hockey website:

I was looking for information on Richard Allen, who was the goalkeeper for the Indian Olympic hockey team from 1928 to 1936. Richard was my father's cousin. My father's name is Reginald Sidney Allen and he is 86 years of age. I am researching my family tree and trying to find out about my father's family for his 60th wedding anniversary.

I was told to check out your page as Richard Allen's photograph was in it. My father was absolutely thrilled to get the information from your web site. Would I be able to get any photographs and other information about Richard Allen which you have? I would be happy to defray any expenses you incur. Or, can you direct me to sites which would have photographs and information on Richard Allen.

Thanking you in anticipation,
Pat Bostock. jimboz@bigpond.com

The response to this email is given in our Nostalgia section.

he Olympic Qualifier in Osaka was televised live in Japan through the national broadcaster NHK. Korea, Switzerland and Spain each took live feeds from NHK of the games of their national teams. The New Zealand men's team's games were broadcast tape-delayed on SkyChannel, from tapes shipped out by NHK. 

Argentina television sent its own crew and commentators for live television broadcasts back to Argentina. 

Pakistan, still in the radio age as far as hockey is concerned, sent a team of radio commentators for live broadcast in Pakistan. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) sponsored the deal whereby Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation could send its team for the live commentary.

Worst of all in terms of game coverage was England, where the BBC Overseas service just gave summary reports from Ken Wilson.

Malaysian Hockey Team Given Send-Off to Osaka
Photo Courtesy : S. S. Kanesan, The Star of Malaysia

ockey is big business in Malaysia. We are referring to the popularity of the game and of the players in Malaysia, which is reflected by sponsorship and endorsement contracts. 

In a deal that took 3 years in the making, Adidas Malaysia and the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) made official a three-year sponsorship (1999 - 2001) deal worth RM 150,000 per year.

Adidas will provide the attire for the national squad until December 2001, with an option for the deal's renewal for another three years.

Adidas has been associated with the Malaysian hockey squad on an ad-hoc basis since 1997. This is the first time they have signed a long-term deal with the MHF. 

The official signing ceremony was held at the National Sports Centre in Bukit Jalil. MHF was represented at the official signing by deputy president Datuk Seri P. Alagendra, while managing director Udo Eimer represented Adidas Malaysia.

Meanwhile, national hockey players Chairil Anwar and M. Jiwa Mohan (men), and D. Deva Leela (women), signed a one-year endorsement contract with Hockey Works Enterprise, the sole agent for Gryphon in Malaysia.

In the deal worth more than RM 2,000 per player, the players will be provided with a complete set of hockey equipment, including hockey sticks, turf shoes, shin pads, stick bags and equipment bags for their personal use.

Hockey Works partner Rizal Mohamed Razman said that there is an option to extend the contract 'if the players do not have any serious injury and continue playing for the country.'

"In fact, we are also planning to sponsor two national junior players," said Rizal.

t is either the gold medal or nothing at all, as far the performance of the New Zealand hockey team in the Olympics is concerned.

Back in 1976, New Zealand won the Olympic gold medal in hockey - a feat that its illustrious hockey neighbour Australia has not yet achieved.

However, both before and after the 'Montreal Miracle' of 1976, New Zealand has not even made it to the semi-finals of any Olympic hockey event, as is shown in the table below:

Position	Olympics
5th	Rome (1960)
6th	Melbourne (1956)
7th	Mexico City (1968) Los Angeles (1984)
8th	Barcelona (1992)
9th	Munich (1972)
13th	Tokyo (1964)
Not Qualified	Seoul (1988) Atlanta (1996) Sydney (2000)
Boycott	Moscow (1980)

Similarly even in the World Cup, New Zealand has never even qualified for the semi-final stage, as is shown in the table below.

Position	World Cup
7th	Amsterdam (1973) Kuala Lumpur (1975) Mumbai (1982)
9th	London (1986)
10th	Utrecht (1998)
Not Qualified	Barcelona (1971) Buenos Aires (1978) Lahore (1990) Sydney (1994)

The lone Olympic gold medal in 1976 remains the only worthwhile achievement of New Zealand hockey in the past century.

he richest university sports league in the world is NCAA's college basketball tournament - known to sports fans as March Madness or the The Big Dance. Here's a brief description:

Structure : This knockout tournament features 64 teams and 63 games spread over 10 days (3 weekends) in the month of March. The tournament culminates in the Final Four, which eventually leads to the national champion in college basketball.

So who gets to participate in the tournament? The NCAA operates around 30 regional round-robin leagues within conferences, or groupings of universities, throughout the nation. The winner of each conference automatically qualifies for the tournament. The remaining teams are chosen by a selection committee based on their performance during the regular season.

Television : CBS has signed a 11-year $6 BILLION deal with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for exclusive telecast rights on television, radio and the internet media. This deal will give the NCAA an average of $545 million a year through 2013. CBS has telecast the Final Four since 1983.

Money Distribution : What happens to the millions of dollars obtained by the NCAA from the television networks? Are there petty bureaucrats and small-minded officials who pocket the money? 

Most of the money goes to pay sports scholarships to 40,000 male and female athletes in Division I universities in USA. A full sports scholarship includes room, board, books and tuition. Other expenses go into the running of the regular season and the NCAA tournament, marketing, licensing and other promotions.

Milestones in the Tournament History

1979

Magic Johnson's Michigan State University beats Larry Bird's Indiana State University in the NCAA championship game. The thrilling final galvanized the nation, set a television ratings record (24.1) and elevated the Final Four to the Super Bowl status.

1982

Michael Jordan of the University of North Carolina hit a jumper in the final seconds to beat Georgetown University in the NCAA championship game.

1994

Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting president to attend the Final Four. His university, Arkansas, goes on to win the national championship.

1995

NCAA signs an 8-year $1.7 billion television rights deal with CBS, running through 2002.

1999

NCAA signs a 11-year $6 billion television rights deal with CBS, effective from 2003 to 2011.

Mukesh Kumar April 16, 1970 (30 years old)