Hockey and the Olympic Games From the Nile Valley to the five Balbir Singhs, hockey has one of the longest and most illustrious histories of any sport in the Olympic Games. Archaeologists have found 4000-year-old sketches of men playing a version of hockey in the Nile Valley of Egypt. While the drawings suggest no shin pads, mouthguards or synthetic surfaces, the primitive stick-and-rock games provide one of the oldest links to today's Olympic Games. Similar …showed first 75 words of 408 total…

…showed last 75 words of 408 total…winning Olympic gold medals in 1988 and 1996, the last two World Cups and five successive Champions Trophies. However, South Korea, Argentina, the Netherlands and Germany could offer strong challenges at the 2000 Olympic Games. The host nation — winner of the 1999 Champions Trophy — is also a leading contender in the men's division, while the Netherlands, the defending Olympic champion, is tipped to make it through to the medal rounds. Olympic competition dates: 16-30 September 2000 Venue: State Hockey Centre