Our win could have revived Indian hockey

Says SS Gill, who was part of the Indian hockey team at the 2000 Games

The Sydney Olympics will be forever etched in my memory for number of reasons. I have mixed emotions about the 2000 Games. First and foremost, we missed out on a medal after drawing our final match against Poland. I still cannot believe that we did not win that match.

We were a goal away from making it to the semi finals. I feel, had won that match, it would have revived Indian hockey. The second unforgettable moment at Sydney was the opening ceremony.

I was lucky enough to participate in the march past. Before the march past started, we had to wait in a nearby indoor stadium for couple of hours, which was quite frustrating. However, the moment we entered the main stadium, the atmosphere was overwhelming.

It is difficult to express the joy and excitement I felt on being a part of the Indian contingent. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Sydney was really special. The ceremonies, the records… everything was on a grand scale. This was mentioned to me by my colleagues who had participated in the 1996 Games and also by those who later participated in the 2004 Athens Games.
—As told to Dhananjay Khadilkar