| Tournament: | Men's field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics |
| Size: | 250px |
| Dates: | 11 – 23 August |
| Country: | China |
| City: | Beijing |
| Venues: | Olympic Green Hockey Field |
| Teams: | 12 |
| Confederations: | 5 |
| Count: | 3 |
| Matches: | 38 |
| Goals: | 174 |
| Top Scorer: | Taeke Taekema |
| Top Scorer Goals: | 11 |
| Previous Year: | 2004 |
| Previous Tournament: | Field hockey at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament |
| Next Year: | 2012 |
| Next Tournament: | Field hockey at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament |
The men's field hockey tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics was the 21st edition of the field hockey event for men at the Summer Olympic Games. It was held over a thirteen-day period beginning on 11 August, and culminating with the medal finals on 23 August. All games were played at the hockey field constructed on the Olympic Green in Beijing, China.
Germany won the gold medal for the third time after defeating Spain 1–0 in the final. Defending champions Australia won the bronze medal by defeating Netherlands 6–2. This was the only edition India has missed out in its Olympic history.[1]
The twelve teams in the tournament were divided into two pools of six, with each team initially playing round-robin games within their pool. Following the completion of the round-robin, the top two teams from each pool advance to the semifinals. All other teams play classification matches to determine the final tournament rankings. The two semi-final winners meet for the gold medal match, while the semi-final losers play in the bronze medal match.
Each of the continental champions from five federations and host received an automatic berth. The European and Asian federations received two and one extra quotas respectively based upon the FIH World Rankings at the completion of the 2006 World Cup. In addition to the three teams qualifying through the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, the following twelve teams, shown with final pre-tournament rankings, competed in this tournament.[2] [3]
| Date | Event | Location | Quotas | Qualifiers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts | 1 | (17) | |||
| 2–14 December 2006 | 2006 Asian Games | Doha, Qatar | 2 | (5) (6) | |
| 14–22 July 2007 | 2007 African Olympic Qualifier | Nairobi, Kenya | 1 | (13) | |
| 14–29 July 2007 | 2007 Pan American Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1 | (15) | |
| 18–25 August 2007 | 2007 EuroHockey Championship | Manchester, England | 3 | (3) (4) (12) | |
| 11–17 September 2007 | 2007 Oceania Cup | Buderim, Australia | 1 | (2) | |
| 2–10 February 2008 | Olympic Qualifying Tournament 1 | Auckland, New Zealand | 1 | (10) | |
| 1–9 March 2008 | Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2 | Santiago, Chile | 1 | (8) | |
| 5–13 April 2008 | Olympic Qualifying Tournament 3 | Kakamigahara, Japan | 1 | (1) | |
| Total | 12 | ||||
Fifteen umpires for the men's event were appointed by the FIH.[4] During each match, a video umpire was used to assist the on-field umpires in determining if a goal had been legally scored.[5]
See main article: Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's team squads.
All times are China Standard Time
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