Hockey made its Olympic debut in 1908 and the men’s competition has been a permanent fixture since 1928.
The women’s competition was introduced at the 1980 Games and has been played in every cycle since.
Here’s all you need to know.
Hockey schedule and venue at Paris 2024
The men’s and women’s hockey competitions take place from 27 July to 9 August at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes.
There will be a men’s and women’s 12-team tournament. The men’s gold medal match is on 8 August, with the women’s the day after.
Scoring and rules in hockey
Quite simply, whoever scores the most goals wins.
Each match consists of four 15 minute periods, played between two teams of 11. Players can only touch the ball with the flat side of the stick.
In the group stages, three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw, with the top four teams progressing to the knock-out stages.
If the scores are tied at the end of the match during the knock-out phase, the winner is decided by penalty shoot-out.
Who has won the most medals in Olympic hockey?
India have won the most medals in the men’s competition, with eight golds in their total tally of 12. Pakistan are second with eight and Great Britain third. Great Britain have won nine medals in total but that includes two silvers and four bronze, compared to Pakistan’s three silvers and two bronze.
The Netherlands are the most succesful women’s team with nine medals. Australia and Germany are second and third with three apiece, but Australia have three golds to Germany’s one.
What Olympic hockey medals have Team GB won?
Great Britain’s women memorably won gold at Rio 2016. They won bronze at London 2012 and again in Tokyo three years ago.
The men have not won an Olympic medal since gold in 1988, although they came close with a fourth-placed finish in 2012.
