India first competed at the 1900 Paris Olympics, when a lone athlete won two silver medals, and sent its first team in 1920. The men's hockey team dominated the mid-century, winning eight golds between 1928 and 1980; hockey gold at London 1948 was independent India's first medal. A wrestling bronze in 1952 was the first individual medal.
Key facts
- 41 medals in all: 10 gold, 10 silver, 21 bronze, all at the Summer Games; none at the Winter Games (competed since 1964). (as of 23 Oct 2026)
- Hockey: eight golds from 1928 to 1980; the 1948 London gold was the first medal as an independent nation.
- Leander Paes won tennis bronze in 1996 and Rajyavardhan Rathore shooting silver in 2004.
- Neeraj Chopra won India's first athletics gold in 2020 and a silver in 2024.
Latest
India's 2026 Asian Games hockey golds earned direct berths at Los Angeles 2028; the mixed compound archery team (Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav) and Kumkum Mohod also won LA 2028 quota places.
Why exams ask about it
First medals of each kind, the hockey golds, the best medal haul and quota places for the next Games are asked.