Paris Olympics 2024: Know the rules of hockey before India vs Spain bronze match
The Indian men’s hockey team will play against Spain for the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on August 8. Before the match, here are the basic rules of the game to help enjoy the big game.
India’s Amit Rohidas in action
| Photo Credit: Anjum Naveed
The primary objective in field hockey is scoring the most goals in 60 minutes. These 60 minutes are split into four 15-minute quarters. This is how the hockey field is laid out.
Before the game begins, a toss decides which team controls the ball first and which side they play from. The team that wins the toss plays a pushback, where the player plays the ball from the court’s centre. After the ball is played, each team attempts to wrest control of the ball from the opposing team to score a goal. Over the course of the game, either team can make a foul, or a forbidden player action. The same foul can be more severe if made within the Dee.
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These are some common fouls.
Each foul gives the opposing team one of three strike options – a free hit, a penalty stroke or a penalty corner. With each option, the difficulty to score a goal changes.
Free hit
A free hit is given when a foul is made outside of the Dee. For instance, if the ball hits the foot of a player, the opposite team gets a free hit. This is similar to how the ball is played in the beginning, with the same 5m distance between the striker and defending players. However, the location where it is taken from changes.
Penalty Corner
When a foul is made within the Dee, the opposing team gets a penalty corner. India got its first goal against Germany from Harmanpreet Singh through a penalty corner after the ball hit a German player’s foot within the Dee. Here’s how it works.
The team can sometimes strategically earn penalty corners by aiming the ball at an opposing player’s foot.
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Penalty Stroke
A penalty stroke is an opportunity unlike any other to score a goal. It is given when a serious foul is committed within the Dee, like if a player deliberately blocks the ball using his feet or other body parts. This foul is seen as an illegal action that prevented a goal that would have otherwise been won. Germany scored a goal through a penalty stroke after the ball hit Indian player Jarmanpreet Singh’s foot in the semi-final. Here’s how it works.
All these opportunities are lost if time runs out before the team can take it. It does not carry forward to the next 15-minute quarter.
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