Olympic Histroy of India-India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900
India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) winning two medals in athletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games since 1964. The 1920 team consisted of two wrestlers, two athletes and a manager. Out of the four sportsmen, only Mr. Phadeppa Dareppa Chaugule completed his event that is the Marathon. He ranked 19th with a timing of 2 Hours 50 Minutes 45.4 Seconds for a distance of 42 .750 KMs. He thus becomes India’s first Olympic Marathon runner.
Indian athletes have won a total of 23 medals, mostly in field hockey. For a period of time, India’s men’s field hockey team was dominant in Olympic competition, winning eleven medals in twelve Olympics between 1928 and 1980, including six successive gold medals from 1928–1956.
The National Olympic Committee for India is the Indian Olympic Association, and was created in 1927.
The 2008 Summer Olympics was the most successful Olympics ever for India with the nation winning three Olympic medals in three different sports and also winning first individual Olympic gold medal won by Abhinav Bindra.
The 2012 Summer Olympics saw an 83 member Indian contingent participating in the games. The contingent was led by Sushil Kumar, a bronze Medalist for India at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. This is the largest ever contingent from India participating in the games in 55 events. The first medal of the London Olympics for India was won by Gagan Narang in the 10m air rifle. [1] The second medal of the London Olympics was won by Vijay Kumar in 25 meter rapid fire pistol.The third medal was won by Saina Nehwal in the Women’s Singles Event in Badminton. The fourth medal will be won by Mary Kom, who, having reached the semi-finals of Women’s Flyweight (51 kg), is guaranteed at least a bronze medal.