120-1300: All India Football Federation ( AIFF ) is the governing body of football , futsal and beach soccer in India . It is a member of FIFA , and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation . It is affiliated with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports , Government of India . India men's and women's football teams are governed by the AIFF, and represent India in various international football tournaments. The AIFF manages, sanctions, conducts, schedules and runs all national level football tournaments and leagues in India, including Indian Super League , I-League , I-League 2 , I-League 3 , Indian Women's League , Indian Women's League 2 , Santosh Trophy , Senior Women's National Football Championship , Futsal Club Championship , National Beach Soccer Championship , Super Cup , Durand Cup , Youth League and others. The federation also indirectly manages local football competitions through its member associations. Before
240-648: A leap year , and were instead hosted on a non-leap year . Unlike previous Olympics, these Games took place without spectators due to concerns over COVID-19 and a state of emergency imposed in the host city. Nevertheless, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games featured many memorable moments and feats of technical excellence. One star of the Games, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles , gracefully bowed out to focus on her mental health, but later returned to claim an individual bronze medal. Norway's Karsten Warholm smashed his own world record in
360-520: A 2–1 defeat, with Sarangapani Raman scoring the lone goal for India. India then returned to the Olympics four years later where they took on Yugoslavia in the preliminary rounds. The team suffered a 10–1 defeat, India's largest margin of defeat in a competitive match, and were knocked out. Four years later, during the 1956 Olympics, India managed to reach the semi-finals and finish fourth. After India's first round opponents, Hungary , withdrew from
480-469: A 51–50 victory. Ultimately the U.S. team refused to accept their silver medals. There was no such tragedy at the 1976 Montreal Games , but bad planning and fraud led to the cost of these Games far exceeding the budget. Costing $ 1.5 billion (equivalent to $ 7.58 billion in 2023), the 1976 Summer Games were the most expensive in Olympic history (until the 2014 Winter Olympics ) and it seemed, for
600-507: A Summer Olympics, and equaled the inaugural record set by Eric Heiden at the 1980 Winter Olympics . By then the process of choosing a location for the Games had become a commercial concern; there were widespread allegations of corruption potentially affecting the IOC's decision process. At the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics , the highlight was 200 meters runner Michael Johnson annihilating
720-413: A bronze medal, became the most decorated weightlifter of all time with four Olympic medals, three gold and one bronze. Although unfounded reports of potential terrorism drove crowds away from the preliminary competitions at the first weekend of the Olympics (14–15 August 2004), attendance picked up as the Games progressed. A third of the tickets failed to sell, but ticket sales still topped figures from
840-495: A countrywide football federation in 1935 when the federation, as well as seven other associations, met at a conference but consensus could not be reached. After differences of opinion and other conflicts were resolved, a meeting was conducted in March 1937 which would serve to be the beginning of the start of the AIFF. The AIFF was officially founded on 23 June 1937 after representatives from the nine regional football associations met at
960-553: A great success. The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. Panathinaiko Stadium , the first big stadium in the modern world, overflowed with the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event. The highlight for the Greeks was the Marathon victory by their compatriot Spiridon Louis , a water carrier. He won in 2 hours, 58 minutes and 50 seconds, setting off wild celebrations at
1080-611: A historic backflip off the high bar . In the final of the men's basketball , the United States lost to the Soviet Union in what is widely considered as the most controversial game in international basketball history. In a close-fought match, the U.S. team appeared to have won by a score of 50–49. However, the final three seconds of the game were replayed three times by judges until the Soviet team came out on top and claimed
1200-422: A less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country. According to British journalist Andrew Jennings , a KGB colonel stated that the agency's officers had posed as anti-doping authorities from the IOC to undermine doping tests and that Soviet athletes were "rescued with [these] tremendous efforts". On the topic of the 1980 Summer Olympics , a 1989 Australian study said "There
1320-485: A protest against a recent tour of apartheid -run South Africa by the New Zealand national rugby union team . Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci made history when she won the women's individual all-around gold medal with two of four possible perfect scores. She won two other individual events, with two perfect scores in the balance beam and all perfect scores in the uneven bars. Lasse Virén repeated his double gold in
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#17327756052561440-536: A record for gold medals at a single Games with eight, and tied the record of most gold medals by a single competitor previously held by both Eric Heiden and Vitaly Scherbo. Another notable star of the Games was Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt , who became the first male athlete ever to set world records in the finals of both the 100 and 200 metres in the same Games. Equestrian events were held in Hong Kong. London held
1560-456: A stand for civil rights by raising their black-gloved fists and wearing black socks in lieu of shoes. The two athletes were subsequently expelled from the Games by the IOC. Věra Čáslavská , in protest against the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia , and the controversial decision by the judges on the balance beam and floor , turned her head down and away from the Soviet flag while
1680-715: A time, that the Olympics might no longer be a viable financial proposition. In retrospect, it is believed that contractors (suspected of being members of the Montreal Mafia) skimmed large sums of money from all levels of contracts while also profiting from the substitution of cheaper building materials of lesser quality, which may have contributed to the delays, poor construction, and excessive costs. In 1988, one such contractor, Giuseppe Zappia "was cleared of fraud charges that resulted from his work on Olympic facilities after two key witnesses died before testifying at his trial". The 1976 Games were boycotted by many African nations as
1800-532: Is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the worldwide football governing body FIFA . The India national football team has entered the regional Asian Cup competition but has never competed in a World Cup . The India women's national football team has also played in competitions, and has its own inter-state and state competitions. Youth football is administered by the Sports Authority of India . The India national football team
1920-614: Is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Since 1948, the AIFF has been affiliated with FIFA , the international governing body for world football. In 1954, the AIFF became one of the founding members of the AFC. The following list includes the performance of all of India's national teams at major competitions. The Indian senior national team had several successes during their initial years but
2040-645: Is hardly a medal winner at the Moscow Games, certainly not a gold medal winner, who is not on one sort of drug or another: usually several kinds. The Moscow Games might as well have been called the Chemists' Games." Documents obtained in 2016 revealed the Soviet Union's plans for a statewide doping system in track and field in preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Dated prior to
2160-573: Is no longer considered one of the best in Asia. The national team's highest achievement is winning two gold medals at the Asian Games. The women's national team was started in the 1970s; they were twice runners-up in the Women's Asian Cup in the early 1980s. After the AIFF took charge of the team, they began to suffer massive defeats and declined in the late 2000s. In the late 2010s, the AIFF revived
2280-429: Is now. 1951–1962 is widely considered the "golden age" of Indian football. In this period, the national team won numerous titles under the coaching of Syed Abdul Rahim . India won the gold medal in the first Asian Games in 1951 , beating Iran by one goal. In 1956, no longer playing barefoot, India reached the semi-final in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics , becoming the first Asian country to do so and ranking fourth in
2400-445: Is one of the most popular sports in India . The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the first FIFA event the country hosted. It was called the most successful FIFA U-17 World Cup ever, with a record-breaking attendance of 1,347,133, exceeding China 's record of 1,230,976 from 1985. India also hosted the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and bid to host the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup . The Indian national football team qualified for
2520-455: Is the first time ever India qualified consecutively for the continental championship. India competed in four straight Olympic football tournaments between 1948 and 1960. Their sole 1948 Olympics match against France was also India's first ever international match since the country gained independence in 1947. During the match, a majority of the Indian side played barefoot. The match ended in
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#17327756052562640-506: Is the top league, followed by I-League , I-League 2 and I-League 3 . I-League 3 currently acts as a final round for the top teams in the state leagues that are nominated by state football associations . India has several cup tournaments, including the Durand Cup , Super Cup and IFA Shield . The competitions currently active in Indian football in the 2023–24 season . The competitions currently active in Indian football in
2760-411: The 1912 Games , and hosting the equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics (which they are credited as jointly hosting with Melbourne , Australia). Amsterdam , Netherlands, has also hosted events at two Summer Olympic Games, having been sole host of the 1928 Games and previously hosting two of the sailing races at the 1920 Summer Olympics . At the 2008 Summer Olympics , Hong Kong provided
2880-638: The 1950 FIFA World Cup but did not participate. British soldiers introduced football into India in the mid-nineteenth century. Games were initially played between army teams but clubs were soon set up around the country. In 1872, Calcutta FC was the first football club to be established, though the side may have originated as a rugby club that switched codes as late as 1894. Other early clubs include Dalhousie AC , Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club. Several other football clubs such as Sovabazar, Mohun Bagan and Aryan Club were established in Calcutta in
3000-687: The 1996 Games were held in Atlanta , Georgia . The 2028 Games in Los Angeles will mark the fifth occasion on which the Summer Games have been hosted by the U.S. In 2012 , London hosted its third Summer Olympic Games and became the first city ever to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games three times, which then followed by Paris in 2024 . The cities of Los Angeles, Tokyo and Athens (excluding 1906 ) have each hosted two Summer Olympic Games. In 2028, Los Angeles will in turn become
3120-530: The 2012 Summer Olympics , becoming the first city to host the Olympic Games three times. In his closing address, Jacques Rogge described the Games as "Happy and glorious". The host nation won 29 gold medals, the best haul for Great Britain since the 1908 Games in London. The United States returned to the top of the medal table after China dominated in 2008. The IOC had removed baseball and softball from
3240-473: The 2015 edition . India beat Thailand by 4–1, their biggest-ever win at the Asia Cup and their first win in 55 years. Nevertheless, they lost both of their next two group matches against UAE and Bahrain by 0−2 and 0−1 respectively and finished at the bottom of the group, thus failing to move to the knockout stage. Football in India is administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) , which
3360-858: The 2023–24 season . As of 2023 , few of India's national football stadiums meet current world standards. The largest football stadiums in India are the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata with a seating capacity of 68,000 and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi with a capacity of over 60,000. The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack and Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar are major arenas for football events in Odisha . In Sikkim,
3480-573: The Army Headquarters in Shimla . Namely, the nine regional football associations were the IFA , Army Sports Control Board , North West India Football Association , Bihar Olympic Association, WIFA , Madras Football Association , United Provinces Sports Control Board, Mysore Football Association , and Ajmer and Mewar Football Association . After the launch of the national football federation,
3600-611: The COTIF cup, as well as Iraq U-16 , the defending champions of the AFC U-16 Championship (now the AFC U-17 Championship), by 1–0. The U-16 team qualified for the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship , where they came close to qualifying for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup , but lost to South Korea by a single goal in the quarterfinal. The Indian national team qualified for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after missing
3720-612: The FIFA U-17 World Cup in front of 47,000 people against the United States, losing the match 0–3. India played their second match against Colombia. In the 82nd minute, Jeakson Singh became the first Indian goal scorer in the finals of a FIFA-organised tournament. For the third match of the group stage, India played Ghana, losing the match 4–0 and finishing at the bottom of Group A. In 2018 Indian youth football teams made history by defeating Argentina U-20 2–1 in
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3840-1000: The Fatorda Stadium in Goa , the Kaloor International Stadium in Kochi , the Municipal Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode , the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Guwahati and the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad . There are hundreds of other stadiums in the country. The following stadiums are affiliated by All India Football Federation . Note. † denotes stadiums that have hosted international football matches. The Nehru Cup
3960-625: The Russo–Japanese War and the difficulty of getting to St. Louis may have contributed to the fact that very few top-ranked athletes from outside the US and Canada took part in the 1904 Games , the first Games held outside Europe. The " Second International Olympic Games in Athens ", as they were called at the time, were held in 1906. The IOC does not currently recognise these games as being official Olympic Games, although many historians do and credit
4080-1012: The Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad , is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens , Greece , and the most recent was held in 2024 in Paris , France . This was the first international multi-sport event of its kind, organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) founded by Pierre de Coubertin . The tradition of awarding medals began in 1904 ; in each Olympic event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals for second place, and bronze medals for third place. The Winter Olympic Games were created out of
4200-970: The United States ( 1904 , 1932 , 1984 , and 1996 ), three times in Great Britain ( 1908 , 1948 , and 2012 ) and in France ( 1900 , 1924 , and 2024 ), twice each in Greece ( 1896 and 2004 ), Germany ( 1936 and 1972 ), Australia ( 1956 and 2000 ), and Japan ( 1964 and 2020 ), and once each in Sweden ( 1912 ), Belgium ( 1920 ), the Netherlands ( 1928 ), Finland ( 1952 ), Italy ( 1960 ), Mexico ( 1968 ), Canada ( 1976 ), Russia ( 1980 ), South Korea ( 1988 ), Spain ( 1992 ), China ( 2008 ), and Brazil ( 2016 ). London and Paris have hosted three times, Los Angeles , Athens, and Tokyo have each hosted twice; Los Angeles will host
4320-768: The national anthem was played during the medal ceremony. She returned home as a heroine of the Czechoslovak people but was made an outcast by the Soviet-dominated government. Politics again intervened at the 1972 Games in Munich, but this time with lethal consequences . A Palestinian terrorist group named Black September invaded the Olympic village and broke into the apartment of the Israeli delegation . They killed two Israelis and held nine others as hostages, demanding that Israel release numerous prisoners. When
4440-469: The steeplechase for the first time. The fencing programme was expanded to include all six events for both men and women; previously, women had not been able to compete in team foil or sabre events, although women's team épée and men's team foil were dropped for these Games. Marathon swimming events were added, over the distance of 10 km (6.2 mi). Also, the doubles events in table tennis were replaced by team events. American swimmer Michael Phelps set
4560-480: The 10 from Greece. Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, consequently Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organised by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, on 23 June 1894. The IOC was also established during this congress. Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympics were regarded as
4680-484: The 10,000- and 5,000-meter races, he also entered the marathon, despite having never previously raced at that distance. Pacing himself by chatting with the other race leaders, Zátopek led from about halfway, slowly dropping the remaining contenders to win by two and a half minutes, and completed a trio of wins. The 1956 Melbourne Games , the first in the Southern Hemisphere , were largely successful, with
4800-667: The 1890s. Calcutta was then the capital of British India and soon became the hub of football. Tournaments like the Gladstone Cup , the Trades Cup and the Cooch Behar Cup were started around this time. The Durand Cup and IFA Shield were both started in the late nineteenth century. The first Indian team to achieve success was Sovabazar Club, which won the Trades Cup in 1892. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club , which
4920-430: The 1906 games with preventing the demise of the Olympics. The 1906 Athens games were the first of an alternating series of games to be held in Athens in even non-Olympic years, but the series failed to materialise. The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 850 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games. The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as
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5040-658: The 1950 FIFA World Cup, India did not enter the qualifying rounds of the tournament between 1954 and 1982 . Since the 1986 qualifiers , with the exception of the 1990 edition of the tournament, the team participated in World Cup qualification, but has yet to qualify for the finals again. India has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup five times. The team played their first Asian Cup in 1964 . The team managed to qualify following other nations' refusal to play against India due to political reasons. India managed to finish
5160-614: The 1990s, the women's team rapidly declined and a series of defeats followed. In 2009, FIFA delisted the Indian women's team from the world rankings. In August 2007, the Indian national team won the Nehru Cup for the first time, beating Syria 1–0. In August of the following year, India defeated Tajikistan 4–1 to win the AFC Challenge Cup and qualified for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. In August 2009, India again won
5280-516: The 2012 programme. The London Games were successful on a commercial level because they were the first in history to completely sell out every ticket, with as many as 1 million applications for 40,000 tickets for both the Opening Ceremony and the 100m Men's Sprint Final. Such was the demand for tickets to all levels of each event that there was controversy over seats being set aside for sponsors and National Delegations which went unused in
5400-530: The 2016 Summer Olympics. In 1984, the Soviet Union and 13 Soviet allies retaliated by boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Romania and Yugoslavia , notably are the only two countries from the Eastern Bloc that did attend the 1984 Olympics. These games were perhaps the first games of a new era to make a profit. Although a boycott led by the Soviet Union depleted the field in certain sports, 140 National Olympic Committees took part, which
5520-992: The 30,000-capacity Paljor Stadium in Gangtok is famous as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world because of its backdrop of the Himalayas. The main stadium in Shillong is the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with a capacity of 30,000 standing. Both the Paljor and the JLN in Shillong have been renovated with artificial playing surfaces . Some other important stadiums are the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune , Barasat Stadium in Barasat ,
5640-401: The 400m hurdles. The 2024 Summer Olympics were held in Paris, France, making it the second city after London to host the Summer Olympics three times (the other times being 1900 and 1924 , marking a centenary since the latter). This is the first of any Olympic Games after the pandemic to allow spectators to attend. In a first, the opening ceremonies were staged outside the main stadium with
5760-413: The 5,000 and 10,000 meters, making him the first athlete to ever win the distance double twice. Following the Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan , 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany, and Japan, boycotted the 1980 Games held in Moscow. Eighty nations were represented at the Moscow Games – the smallest number since 1956. The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being
5880-456: The AIFF valued the Summer Olympics more than FIFA World Cup at that time and that the players playing mainly barefooted, though the later is just a tale. In 1952, during the Olympics in Finland , India was defeated in the first round by Yugoslavia 10–1. This defeat made the AIFF make it mandatory for players on the national team to wear football boots. In 1954, the AIFF played an active role in promoting football in Asia when they were one of
6000-449: The All India Football Federation. [REDACTED] International football in India generally takes place between September and November according to FIFA men's match calendar, and between February-July/October-December for women. The Indian national football team has also provided some of the greatest players, the example of which is Sunil Chhetri . As of 2023 , India has four national-level leagues. The Indian Super League
6120-399: The Games for the third time in 2028 . Only five countries have participated in every Summer Olympic Games: Australia, France, Great Britain, Greece, and Switzerland. Australia, France, and Great Britain have won at least a medal at every edition of the Games, with Great Britain as the only one that never failed to win at least a gold medal. The United States leads the all-time medal count for
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#17327756052566240-405: The Games in 1964 ; it is also the largest city ever to have hosted, having grown considerably since 1964 . The other countries to have hosted the Summer Olympics are Belgium , Brazil , Canada , China , Finland , Italy , Mexico , Netherlands , South Korea , Soviet Union , Spain , and Sweden , with each of these countries having hosted the Summer Games on one occasion. Asia has hosted
6360-442: The Games started in 1896, all five inhabited continents were represented with athletes competing in the same stadium. The scheduled 1916 Summer Olympics were to be held in Berlin , cancelled following the onset of World War I . The 1920 Antwerp Games in war-ravaged Belgium were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors. This record only stood until 1924, when the Paris Games involved 3,000 competitors,
6480-405: The German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology. The ruling Nazi Party commissioned film-maker Leni Riefenstahl to film the games. The result, Olympia , was widely considered to be a masterpiece, despite the infusion of Adolf Hitler 's theories of Aryan racial superiority. Individually, African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens won four gold medals, while
6600-477: The Indian team in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. After going first in their AFC Challenge Cup group, Houghton was replaced by Wim Koevermans . The India national under-23 football team won the first round of the 2012 Olympics qualifiers against Myanmar but were eliminated by Qatar. India played their next official matches against United Arab Emirates in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which India lost on aggregate 5–2. In 2014, India hosted
6720-461: The Indian team was a special one as they became the first ever Asian Games gold medalists in football. Though the next two tournaments proved to be less successful for the team, they bounced back by winning gold at the 1962 Asian games by defeating the Asian Cup winners South Korea. The team failed to defend their title in 1966 and went on to claim the bronze medal in 1970 . Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games , also known as
6840-431: The Israeli government refused the terrorists' demands, the situation developed into a tense stand-off while negotiations continued. Eventually, the captors, still holding their hostages, were offered safe passage and taken to an airport, where they were ambushed by German security forces. In the ensuing firefight, 15 people were killed, including the nine captive Israeli athletes and five of the terrorists. After much debate,
6960-419: The Nehru Cup, beating Syria on penalties (6–5). In January 2011, India played in the 2011 Asian Cup , the country's first Asian Cup for 24 years. India was eliminated in the group stage, which included South Korea , Australia , and Bahrain . Since the 2011 Asian Cup, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been working to improve Indian football. They allowed former coach Bob Houghton to coach
7080-433: The Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens , Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896. It was the first Olympic Games held in the modern era . About 100,000 people attended for the opening of the games. The athletes came from 14 nations, with most coming from Greece. Although Greece had the most athletes, the U.S. finished with the most champions. 11 Americans placed first in their events vs.
7200-442: The Seoul and Barcelona Olympics ( 1988 and 1992 ). IOC President Jacques Rogge characterised Greece's organisation as outstanding and its security precautions as flawless. All 202 NOCs participated at the Athens Games with over 11,000 participants. The 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Several new events were held, including the new discipline of BMX for both men and women. Women competed in
7320-409: The Summer Olympics , and has topped the medal table on 19 separate occasions—followed by the USSR (seven times, including the 1992 'Unified Team'), and France, Great Britain, Germany and China (once each). The United States hosted the Summer Olympic Games four times: the 1904 Games were held in St. Louis , Missouri ; the 1932 and 1984 Games were both held in Los Angeles , California , and
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#17327756052567440-597: The Summer Olympics four times: in Tokyo ( 1964 and 2020 ), Seoul ( 1988 ), and Beijing ( 2008 ). The 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, were the first Summer Olympics to be held in South America and the first that was held completely during the local " winter " season. The only two countries in the Southern Hemisphere to have hosted the Summer Olympics have been Australia ( 1956 , 2000 , and upcoming 2032 ) and Brazil ( 2016 ), with Africa having yet to host any Summer Olympics. Stockholm , Sweden, has hosted events at two Summer Olympics, having been sole host of
7560-406: The Women's Artistic Gymnastics when the vaulting horse was set to the wrong height during the All-Around Competition. In 2004 , the Olympic Games returned to their birthplace in Athens, Greece. At least $ 7.2 billion was spent on the 2004 Games, including $ 1.5 billion on security. Michael Phelps won his first Olympic medals, tallying six gold and two bronze medals. Pyrros Dimas , winning
7680-409: The World Cup. The AIFF had organised training is Calcutta for the 1950 World Cup and the board organised a series of meetings relating to India's participation but was not able to reach a decision. One to two weeks before the World Cup, the AIFF resorted to coming up with excuses to abandon the World Cup trip. This did not face much criticism in 1948 because the FIFA World Cup was not as popular as it
7800-473: The advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete". The USSR entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full-time basis, hence violating amateur rules. Finland made a legend of an amiable Czechoslovak Army lieutenant named Emil Zátopek , who was intent on improving on his single gold and silver medals from 1948. Having first won both
7920-435: The country's decision to boycott the Games, the document detailed the existing steroids operations of the programme, along with suggestions for further enhancements. The communication, directed to the Soviet Union's head of track and field, was prepared by Dr. Sergei Portugalov of the Institute for Physical Culture. Portugalov was also one of the main figures involved in the implementation of the Russian doping programme prior to
8040-459: The decision was taken to continue the Games, but the proceedings were understandably dominated by these events. Some memorable athletic achievements did occur during these Games, notably the winning of a then-record seven gold medals by United States swimmer Mark Spitz , Finland's Lasse Virén taking back-to-back gold medals in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, and the winning of three gold medals by Soviet gymnastic star Olga Korbut , who achieved
8160-850: The directors at the AIFF. Notes: There are currently 36 state associations and 2 affiliates with the All India Football Federation. ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↓relegate ↑promote ↑promote ↑promote ↑promote ↑promote Football in India Association football
8280-415: The early 1960s caused the Indian national team to gradually lose their position as a top Asian team. India has not qualified for the Olympics since 1960. India qualified for their first Asian Cup in 1964 but failed to win the title. In an international tournament at the 1970 Asian Games, India won the bronze medal after defeating Japan 1–0. The Indian national team qualified for the 1984 AFC Asian Cup for
8400-493: The early days. A system of reallocation was put in place so the empty seats were filled throughout the Games. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics , becoming the first South American city to host the Olympics, the second Olympic host city in Latin America, after Mexico City in 1968 , as well as the third city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the Olympics after Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 and Sydney , Australia, in 2000 . The preparation for these Games
8520-456: The exception of a water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, which ended in a pitched battle between the teams on account of the Soviet invasion of Hungary . The equestrian events were held in Stockholm due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Britain at the time and the strict quarantine laws of Australia. At the 1960 Rome Games , a young light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali , arrived on
8640-641: The expenses required in getting the team to Brazil . But this reason was untrue because FIFA was ready to give money to India (AIFF) for their trip to Brazil. Other reasons cited for why India withdrew include FIFA not allowing Indian players to play in the tournament barefoot and the All India Football Federation not considering the FIFA World Cup an important tournament compared to the Olympics . After withdrawing from
8760-504: The financial barrier was solved as state associations provided financial help to the AIFF and that FIFA also promised to provide money. FIFA had imposed a rule banning barefoot play following the 1948 Olympics where India had played barefoot. According to then-captain Shailen Manna , this story was circulated to justify the AIFF's decision to not participate. Since 1950, the Indian national team has not come close to qualifying for
8880-451: The first Unity World Cup in Goa , Hyderabad and Bangalore . India has participated in and hosted the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament. This was the first time a team representing India participated in the finals of a FIFA-organised world tournament. India was placed in Group A along with the United States , Ghana and Colombia . On 6 October 2017, India played their first match in
9000-588: The first Indian to appear with the English Football League club Arsenal in 1930. India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil because all of their scheduled opponents withdrew. India did not compete in the tournament. It was not because of a lack of financial assistance, particularly to purchase tickets for the sea journey, or because the team were not allowed to play barefoot. According to sports journalist Jaydeep Basu ,
9120-479: The first games in 1896, but was subsequently varied by up to 2 km (1.2 mi) due to local conditions such as street and stadium layout. At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six distances. The Games saw Great Britain winning 146 medals, 99 more than second-placed Americans , its best result to this day. At the end of the 1908 marathon, the Italian runner Dorando Pietri
9240-459: The first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). The first Olympic Marathon in 1896 (a male-only race) was raced at a distance of 40 km (24 miles 85 yards). The new marathon distance was chosen to ensure that the race finished in front of the box occupied by the British royal family. Thus the marathon had been 40 km (24.9 mi) for
9360-627: The first time since 1964 but failed to qualify for the knockout stage after finishing last in their group of five teams. The Indian youth team jointly won the Youth Asian Cup with Iran in 1974 , the first and only title for India at the youth level. In club football, on 24 September 1977, Mohun Bagan held onto a 2–2 draw at the Eden Gardens stadium in Calcutta, against a Pelé -led New York Cosmos . Mohun Bagan would have won
9480-401: The first to be held in Asia and to be broadcast worldwide on television, enabled by the recent advent of communication satellites. These Games marked a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics and are credited for heralding the modern age of telecommunications. Judo debuted as an official sport, and Dutch judoka Anton Geesink caused a stir when he won the final of
9600-543: The formation of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the de facto ruling body for association football in India was the Indian Football Association (IFA). The IFA was founded in 1893 and ran the game in the Bengal region. The federation was mainly governed by Englishmen and served as the most powerful football body in the country during the early 20th century. The IFA stated efforts to form
9720-492: The founding members of the Asian Football Confederation . India took part in four straight Olympic football tournaments between 1948 and 1960 but have failed to qualify since. In 1985, India started to participate in World Cup qualifiers again but have failed to make it to the tournament. In 1977, the AIFF started the Federation Cup which was the first club based national tournament in the country. The Santosh Trophy ,
9840-564: The games, from the Coca-Cola Company . The 1928 games saw the introduction of a standard medal design with the IOC, choosing Giuseppe Cassioli 's depiction of Greek goddess Nike with a winner being carried by a crowd of people. This design was used up until 1972. The 1932 Los Angeles Games were affected by the Great Depression , which contributed to the low number of competitors. The 1936 Berlin Games were seen by
9960-571: The games. The 1992 Barcelona Games featured the admittance of players from one of the North American top leagues, the NBA , exemplified by but not limited to US basketball's " Dream Team ". The 1992 games also saw the reintroduction to the Games of several smaller European states which had been annexed into the Soviet Union during World War II. At these games, gymnast Vitaly Scherbo set an inaugural medal record of five individual gold medals at
10080-620: The grassroots in October 2024. It did better this time compared to its bronze award it received at the last ceremony of the AFC awards. On 16 August 2022, the FIFA Council unanimously decided to suspend All India Football Federation with immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes. As a result, India was temporarily excluded from next AFC Asia Cup edition until
10200-410: The great all-rounder Jim Thorpe , who won both the decathlon and pentathlon. Thorpe had previously played a few games of baseball for a fee, and saw his medals stripped for this 'breach' of amateurism after complaints from Avery Brundage . They were reinstated in 1983, 30 years after his death. The Games at Stockholm were the first to fulfil Pierre de Coubertin's original idea. For the first time since
10320-427: The greatest of whom was Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi . The " Flying Finn " won three team gold medals and the individual 1,500 and 5,000 meter runs, the latter two on the same day. The 1928 Amsterdam Games was notable for being the first games which allowed females to compete at track & field athletics, and benefited greatly from the general prosperity of the times alongside the first appearance of sponsorship of
10440-432: The group in last place, drawing once. India have since failed to qualify for another Olympic games. India competed in eleven Asian Games, starting from 1951 to 1998 , except the 1990 and 1994 editions. In 1951 Asian Games India won their first match against Indonesia in the first round and then defeated Japan in semi-final and went on to win against Iran in the final in front of the home crowd. The achievement of
10560-405: The heat as both his opponents had been disqualified for false starts. His female compatriot Paula Barila Bolopa also received media attention for her record-slow and struggling but courageous performance. The Sydney Games also saw the first appearance of a joint North and South Korean contingent at the opening ceremonies, though they competed in all events as different teams. Controversy occurred in
10680-463: The host nation won the most gold and overall medals. The 1936 Berlin Games also saw the introduction of the Torch Relay. Due to World War II, the 1940 Games (due to be held in Tokyo and temporarily relocated to Helsinki upon the outbreak of the war ) were cancelled. The 1944 Games were due to be held in London but were also cancelled; instead, London hosted the first games after the end of
10800-437: The idea of an India national football team did not gain much momentum until after India's independence in 1947. Select Indian teams did participate in tours of Australia , Burma , Afghanistan , and South Africa but none were officially part of the national team. In 1948, one year after independence and 11 since forming as a football association, the AIFF gained affiliation with FIFA , the governing body for football around
10920-538: The league suffered from a lack of popularity due to poor marketing. In September 2006, the AIFF signed a 10-year television and media contract with Zee Sports . The deal would make Zee broadcast the National Football League, later the I-League, and other tournaments organised by the AIFF and selected India's international matches. However, in October 2010, the deal between the AIFF and Zee Sports
11040-403: The marathon course on her own, saying, "If the committee doesn't let me compete, I will go after them regardless". Women first participated officially in the 1900 Paris Games, with 22 women competing in five sports. Female participation has increased dramatically since then, with nearly half of the athletes in recent Games being women. The 1896 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of
11160-458: The national tournament for state teams, was started in 1941. In 1996, the AIFF began the first national league in the country, the semi-professional National Football League . Before this, most clubs played in state leagues or select nationwide tournaments. In 2006, the AIFF reformatted the league as the I-League in an effort to professionalise the game. However, during the following seasons,
11280-555: The one he had discarded in 1960. The latter event took place in the basketball arena. The atmosphere at the Games was marred, however, when a bomb exploded during the celebration in Centennial Olympic Park. In June 2003, the principal suspect in this bombing, Eric Robert Rudolph , was arrested. The 2000 Summer Olympics , held in Sydney, Australia, showcased individual performances by locals favorites Ian Thorpe in
11400-535: The open weight division, defeating Akio Kaminaga in front of his home crowd. Performances at the 1968 Games in Mexico City were affected by the altitude of the host city. These Games introduced the now-universal Fosbury flop , a technique which won American high jumper Dick Fosbury the gold medal. In the medal award ceremony for the men's 200-meter race, black American athletes Tommie Smith (gold medal winner) and John Carlos (bronze medal winner) took
11520-476: The pool and Cathy Freeman , an Indigenous Australian whose triumph in the 400 meters united a packed stadium., Briton Steve Redgrave who won a rowing gold medal in an unprecedented fifth consecutive Olympics, and Eric "the Eel" Moussambani , a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, received wide media coverage when he completed the 100 meter freestyle swim in by far the slowest time in Olympic history. He nevertheless won
11640-435: The scene. Ali would later throw his gold medal away in disgust after being refused service in a whites-only restaurant in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky . He was awarded a new medal 36 years later at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Other notable performers in 1960 included Wilma Rudolph , a gold medallist in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 × 100 meters relay events. The 1964 Tokyo Games were
11760-421: The stadium. The most successful competitor was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann , who won four gold medals. Greek officials and the public were enthusiastic about the experience of hosting an Olympic Games. This feeling was shared by many of the athletes, who even demanded that Athens be the permanent Olympic host city. The IOC intended for subsequent Games to be rotated to various host cities around
11880-467: The success of the Summer Olympic Games, which are regarded as the largest and most prestigious multi-sport international event in the world. The Summer Olympics have increased in scope from a 42-event competition programme in 1896 with fewer than 250 male competitors from 14 nations, to 339 events in 2021 with 11,420 competitors (almost half of whom were women) from 206 nations. The Games have been held in nineteen countries over five continents: four times in
12000-454: The suspension got lifted before the tournament began. In response to the ban, AIFF agreed to hold an election on 2 September to restore India's participation in FIFA once it got a new administration. On 27 August, FIFA lifted suspension on India, after the government agreed to end its interference in the AIFF, allowing the AIFF administration to resume activities. The following are on the board of
12120-424: The team to empower women's football and the team performed well in a large number of friendlies. The AIFF won the hosting bid for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup . Includes U-19 and U-18 teams' performance. Includes U-16 and U-15 teams' performance. Includes U-19 and U-18 teams' performance. Includes U-16 and U-15 teams' performance. There are currently 36 state associations and 2 affiliates associations with
12240-481: The third city ever to have hosted the Games three times. Australia , Germany , Greece and Japan all hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice (with Australia planned to host in 2032, therefore taking it to three). Tokyo , Japan, hosted the 2020 Games and became the first city outside the predominantly English-speaking and European nations to have hosted the Summer Olympics twice, having already hosted
12360-488: The tie had it not been for a controversial penalty awarded to the visiting team that ensured the draw. The next day, the newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika described Goutam Sarkar as "India's very own Beckenbaur". The Indian women's team as they began playing in the 1970s. In 1975, their first manager was Sushil Bhattacharya . The Indian women's team were runners-up in the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 1980 and 1983 . In
12480-496: The tournament as runners-up to hosts Israel , with Inder Singh finishing as joint top-scorer. Since then, India has failed to progress beyond the first round of the Asian Cup, with their participation at the 1984 and 2011 Asian Cups, and most recently the 2019 Asian Cup . In June 2022, India qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after winning all the matches in the third round of 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification . This
12600-431: The tournament, the team played against hosts Australia in the quarter-finals. A Neville D'Souza hat-trick, the first by an Asian footballer in the Olympics, helped India win 4–2. However, in the semi-finals, India once again suffered defeat against Yugoslavia, going down 4–1. In the bronze medal match, India were defeated 3–0 by Bulgaria . In 1960, India competed in Group D with Hungary, France and Peru . India ended
12720-671: The tournament. In 1962, India again won the gold in the Asian Games at Jakarta , defeating South Korea 2–1. India also won the Merdeka Cup and the Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament , while East Bengal garnered good reviews after touring Romania. Also in 1951, India achieved their highest World Football Elo Rating of 31. According to former FIFA president Sepp Blatter , India is "the sleeping giant of world football". Rahim's death in
12840-692: The venues for the equestrian events , which took place in Sha Tin and Kwu Tung . The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 when Pierre de Coubertin , a French pedagogue and historian, sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition. The first edition of The Olympic Games was held in Athens in 1896 and attracted just 245 competitors, of whom more than 200 were Greek, and only 14 countries were represented. Nevertheless, no international events of this magnitude had been organised before. Female athletes were not allowed to compete, though one woman, Stamata Revithi , ran
12960-567: The war, in 1948 . The first post-war Games were held in 1948 in London, with both Germany and Japan excluded. Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen won four gold medals on the track, emulating Owens' achievement in Berlin. At the 1952 Helsinki Games , the USSR team competed for the first time and quickly emerged as one of the dominant teams, finishing second in the number of gold and overall medals won. Their immediate success might be explained by
13080-405: The world record in front of a home crowd. Canadians savoured Donovan Bailey 's recording gold medal run in the 100-meter dash. This was popularly felt to be an appropriate recompense for the previous national disgrace involving Ben Johnson. There were also emotional scenes, such as when Muhammad Ali, clearly affected by Parkinson's disease , lit the Olympic torch and received a replacement medal for
13200-529: The world. Later that year, the national team was officially formed and participated in their first official tournament, the 1948 Summer Olympics . In 1950, the national team automatically qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup which was to be held in Brazil after all the teams in India's qualification group withdrew. However, prior to the tournament, India withdrew, citing the reason as due to lack of funding. Other reasons given for India's withdrawal included that
13320-620: The world. The second Olympics was held in Paris. Four years later the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris attracted more than four times as many athletes, including 20 women, who were allowed to officially compete for the first time, in croquet , golf , sailing , and tennis . The Games were integrated with the Paris World's Fair and lasted over five months. It has been disputed which exact events were Olympic , as some events were for professionals, some had restricted eligibility, and others lacked international competitors. Tensions caused by
13440-502: Was a record at the time. The Games were also the first time mainland China (People's Republic) participated. The 1988 Games , in Seoul, was very well planned but the games were tainted when many of the athletes, most notably men's 100 metres winner Ben Johnson , failed mandatory drug tests. Despite splendid drug-free performances by many individuals, the number of people who failed screenings for performance-enhancing chemicals overshadowed
13560-471: Was an international invitational association football tournament organised by the AIFF and named after the First Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru . The Tri-Nation Series is a three-team football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition was held in 2017. The Intercontinental Cup is a four-team association football tournament organised by the AIFF. The first edition
13680-440: Was established in Calcutta in 1893 but had no Indians on its board until the 1930s. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), the national governing body of football in India, was formed in 1937 but did not become affiliated with FIFA until at least a decade later. India insisted on playing barefoot whereas other national sides wore boots. Footballer Jyotish Chandra Guha brought global attention to Indian football when he became
13800-547: Was first to enter the stadium, but he was clearly in distress and collapsed of exhaustion before he could complete the event. He was helped over the finish line by concerned race officials and later disqualified for that. As compensation for the missing medal, Queen Alexandra gave Pietri a gilded silver cup. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a special report about the race in the Daily Mail . The Games continued to grow, attracting 2,504 competitors, to Stockholm in 1912 , including
13920-606: Was held in 2018. A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within India India has never played in the finals of the FIFA World Cup . After gaining independence in 1947, India managed to qualify for the World Cup held in 1950 . This was due to Myanmar , Indonesia , and the Philippines withdrawing from qualification round . However, prior to the start of the tournament, India withdrew due to
14040-751: Was overshadowed by controversies , including political instability and an economic crisis in the host country, health and safety concerns surrounding the Zika virus , and significant pollution in the Guanabara Bay . However, these concerns were superseded by a state-sponsored doping scandal involving Russian athletes at the Winter Olympics held two years earlier , which affected the participation of its athletes in these Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. The city
14160-478: Was set up in modern-day West Bengal in 1889, became famous in 1911 when it became the first Indian team to win the IFA Shield , a tournament previously won only by British teams based in India. They defeated East Yorkshire Regiment 2–1 in the tournament's final in a victory that is still regarded as one of the greatest win by an Indian football team before independence. The Indian Football Association (IFA)
14280-570: Was terminated after differences between both parties related to payment and marketing of football in India. On 9 December 2010, it was announced that the AIFF had signed a new 15-year, ₹700 crore deal with Reliance Industries and the International Management Group . It received the AFC President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football (Silver) for its unwavering commitment to football growth at
14400-545: Was the fifth in history to host the Games twice and the first Asian city to have this title. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , the IOC and the Tokyo Organising Committee announced that the 2020 Games were to be delayed until 2021, marking the first time that the Olympic Games have been postponed. This was the first time since 1900 that the games were not held in
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