# Field hockey at the 2008 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.

## Competition format

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.

## Qualification

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.
| Date | Event | Location | Quotas | Qualifiers |
| Hosts | Hosts | Hosts | 1 | China (17) |
| 2–14 December 2006 | 2006 Asian Games | Doha, Qatar | 2 | South Korea (5) Pakistan (6) |
| 14–22 July 2007 | 2007 African Olympic Qualifier | Nairobi, Kenya | 1 | South Africa (13) |
| 14–29 July 2007 | 2007 Pan American Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1 | Canada (15) |
| 18–25 August 2007 | 2007 EuroHockey Championship | Manchester, England | 3 | Netherlands (3) Spain (4) Belgium (12) |
| 11–17 September 2007 | 2007 Oceania Cup | Buderim, Australia | 1 | Australia (2) |
| 2–10 February 2008 | Olympic Qualifying Tournament 1 | Auckland, New Zealand | 1 | New Zealand (10) |
| 1–9 March 2008 | Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2 | Santiago, Chile | 1 | Great Britain (8) |
| 5–13 April 2008 | Olympic Qualifying Tournament 3 | Kakamigahara, Japan | 1 | Germany (1) |
| Total | Total | Total | 12 | |

## Umpires

Fifteen umpires for the men's event were appointed by the FIH. During each match, a video umpire was used to assist the on-field umpires in determining if a goal had been legally scored.
* Xavier Adell (ESP)
* Christian Blasch (GER)
* Chen Dekang (CHN)
* Henrik Ehlers (DEN)
* David Gentles (AUS)
* Murray Grime (AUS)
* Kim Hong-lae (KOR)
* Satinder Kumar (IND)
* David Leiper (GBR)
* Andy Mair (GBR)
* Gary Simmonds (RSA)
* Amarjit Singh (MAS)
* Rob ten Cate (NED)
* Roel van Eert (NED)
* John Wright (RSA)

## Preliminary round

All times are China Standard Time (UTC+08:00)

### Pool A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Spain | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 12 | Semi-finals |
| 2 | Germany | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 11 | Semi-finals |
| 3 | South Korea | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 7 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | New Zealand | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 7 | Seventh place game |
| 5 | Belgium | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 4 | Ninth place game |
| 6 | China (H) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 16 | −9 | 1 | Eleventh place game |
* 11 August 2008 08:30
| Germany | 4–1 | China |
| C. Zeller 21' Keller 43', 54' Nevado 68' | Report | Na Yubo 7' |
* Umpires: David Leiper (GBR) Satinder Kumar (IND)
* 11 August 2008 18:00
| South Korea | 1–3 | New Zealand |
| Lee Nam-yong 12' | Report | H. Shaw 43', 57', 64' |
* Umpires: David Gentles (AUS) Andy Mair (GBR)
* 11 August 2008 20:30
| Spain | 4–2 | Belgium |
| Amat 8' Freixa 20' Ribas 41' Sojo 49' | Report | Truyens 26' Dekeyser 63' |
* Umpires: Murray Grime (AUS) Roel van Eert (NED)
* 13 August 2008 10:30
| China | 2–5 | South Korea |
| Na Yubo 6' Song Yi 8' | Report | Seo Jong-ho 13' Jang Jong-hyun 35+', 55', 57' Kang Seong-jung 67' |
* Umpires: Amarjit Singh (MAS) Henrik Ehlers (DEN)
* 13 August 2008 18:30
| Belgium | 1–1 | Germany |
| Charlier 22' | Report | Witthaus 19' |
* Umpires: Rob ten Cate (NED) David Gentles (AUS)
* 13 August 2008 20:30
| New Zealand | 0–1 | Spain |
| | Report | Freixa 70' |
* Umpires: John Wright (RSA) Christian Blasch (GER)
* 15 August 2008 08:30
| Spain | 2–1 | China |
| Ribas 17' Amat 67' | Report | Na Yubo 6' |
* Umpires: David Gentles (AUS) Kim Hong-lae (KOR)
* 15 August 2008 18:00
| Belgium | 2–4 | New Zealand |
| Dekeyser 43' Gucassoff 69' | Report | Child 19', 20' Brooks 30' McAleese 60' |
* Umpires: David Leiper (GBR) Xavier Adell (ESP)
* 15 August 2008 20:30
| South Korea | 3–3 | Germany |
| Yeo Woon-kon 5' Jang Jong-hyun 46' Seo Jong-ho 52' | Report | Witte 17' Witthaus 40' C. Zeller 47' |
* Umpires: John Wright (RSA) Satinder Kumar (IND)
* 17 August 2008 10:30
| South Korea | 3–1 | Belgium |
| You Hyo-sik 46', 51' Jang Jong-hyun 50' | Report | Dekeyser 20' |
* Umpires: Rob ten Cate (NED) Satinder Kumar (IND)
* 17 August 2008 18:30
| New Zealand | 2–2 | China |
| Child 34' McAleese 54' | Report | Song Yi 3', 17' |
* Umpires: Murray Grime (AUS) Andy Mair (GBR)
* 17 August 2008 21:00
| Germany | 1–0 | Spain |
| Fürste 34' | Report | |
* Umpires: John Wright (RSA) David Gentles (AUS)
* 19 August 2008 10:30
| Germany | 3–1 | New Zealand |
| T. Weß 5' Witthaus 9' Keller 55' | Report | H. Shaw 46' |
* Umpires: David Gentles (AUS) Andy Mair (GBR)
* 19 August 2008 18:30
| South Korea | 1–2 | Spain |
| Yoon Sung-hoon 69' | Report | Freixa 12', 53' |
* Umpires: Henrik Ehlers (DEN) John Wright (USA)
* 19 August 2008 21:00
| China | 1–3 | Belgium |
| Song Yi 4' | Report | Reckinger 28' Truyens 32' Dohmen 48' |
* Umpires: Murray Grime (AUS) Gary Simmonds (RSA)

### Pool B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 13 | Semi-finals |
| 2 | Australia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 7 | +17 | 11 | Semi-finals |
| 3 | Great Britain | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | Pakistan | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 6 | Seventh place game |
| 5 | Canada | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 4 | Ninth place game |
| 6 | South Africa | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 25 | −21 | 0 | Eleventh place game |
* 11 August 2008 10:30
| Pakistan | 2–4 | Great Britain |
| Abbasi 45' Waqas 59' | Report | Tindall 2' Moore 14' Jackson 29' Daly 62' |
* Umpires: John Wright (RSA) Amarjit Singh (MAS)
* 11 August 2008 18:30
| Australia | 6–1 | Canada |
| Abbott 15', 16', 54' Kavanagh 22' Ockenden 48' Schubert 57' | Report | P. Short 38' |
* Umpires: Christian Blasch (GER) Chen Dekang (CHN)
* 11 August 2008 21:00
| Netherlands | 5–0 | South Africa |
| Taekema 4', 35' Docherty 44' Hertzberger 47' M. Brouwer 66' | Report | |
* Umpires: Henrik Ehlers (DEN) Xavier Adell (ESP)
* 13 August 2008 08:30
| South Africa | 0–10 | Australia |
| | Report | Dwyer 2', 42' Matheson 14', 29', 57' Schubert 27' Guest 35+', 38' Kavanagh 47' Abbott 67' |
* Umpires: Andy Mair (GBR) Roel van Eert (NED)
* 13 August 2008 18:00
| Canada | 1–3 | Pakistan |
| Kullar 35' | Report | Imran 39' Rasool 39' Waqas 57' |
* Umpires: Kim Hong-lae (KOR) David Leiper (GBR)
* 13 August 2008 21:00
| Netherlands | 1–0 | Great Britain |
| Taekema 63' | Report | |
* Umpires: Murray Grime (AUS) Gary Simmonds (RSA)
* 15 August 2008 10:30
| Netherlands | 4–2 | Canada |
| Taekema 4', 8', 33' Weusthof 49' | Report | Deol 12' Kahlon 64' |
* Umpires: Murray Grime (AUS) Chen Dekang (CHN)
* 15 August 2008 18:30
| Pakistan | 1–3 | Australia |
| Abbasi 16' | Report | Schubert 20' Dwyer 41' Brooks 59' |
* Umpires: Henrik Ehlers (DEN) Gary Simmonds (RSA)
* 15 August 2008 21:00
| South Africa | 0–2 | Great Britain |
| | Report | Tindall 20' Daly 66' |
* Umpires: Christian Blasch (GER) Rob ten Cate (NED)
* 17 August 2008 08:30
| Great Britain | 1–1 | Canada |
| Daly 67' | Report | Pereira 47' |
* Umpires: Roel van Eert (NED) Gary Simmonds (RSA)
* 17 August 2008 18:00
| Pakistan | 3–1 | South Africa |
| Javed 9' Abbasi 44' Saqlain 60' | Report | Smith 31' |
* Umpires: Amarjit Singh (MAS) Kim Hong-lae (KOR)
* 17 August 2008 20:30
| Australia | 2–2 | Netherlands |
| Ockenden 58' Doerner 61' | Report | Taekema 55', 70' |
* Umpires: Henrik Ehlers (DEN) Christian Blasch (GER)
* 19 August 2008 08:30
| Netherlands | 4–2 | Pakistan |
| Brouwer 41' Taekema 46', 58' Hertzberger 69' | Report | Imran 28' Maqsood 65' |
* Umpires: David Leiper (GBR) Kim Hong-lae (KOR)
* 19 August 2008 18:00
| Canada | 5–3 | South Africa |
| R. Short 15' Fernandes 31', 46' Grimes 38', 70' | Report | Smith 4', 51' Tsolekile 28' |
* Umpires: Roel van Eert (NED) Satinder Kumar (IND)
* 19 August 2008 20:30
| Australia | 3–3 | Great Britain |
| George 40' Dwyer 45' Ockenden 68' | Report | Middleton 34' R. Mantell 47' Moore 55' |
* Umpires: Christian Blasch (GER) Xavier Adell (ESP)

## Classification round
### Fifth to twelfth place classification
#### Eleventh and twelfth place

* 23 August 2008 08:30
| China | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | South Africa |
| Na Yubo 32' Song Yi 53', 58', 85' | Report | Tsolekile 3' Symons 63' Smith 70' |
* Umpires: Rob ten Cate (NED) Satinder Kumar (IND)

#### Ninth and tenth place

* 21 August 2008 08:30
| Belgium | 3–0 | Canada |
| Dekeyser 2', 70' Dohmen 23' | Report | |
* Umpires: David Leiper (GBR) Xavier Adell (ESP)

#### Seventh and eighth place

* 21 August 2008 11:00
| New Zealand | 4–2 | Pakistan |
| Child 26' H. Shaw 39', 53' Brooks 43' | Report | Bilgrami 46' Butt 56' |
* Umpires: Kim Hong-lae (KOR) Gary Simmonds (RSA)

#### Fifth and sixth place

* 23 August 2008 11:00
| South Korea | 2–5 | Great Britain |
| Jang Jong-hyun 48' Hyun Hye-sung 67' | Report | Middleton 44' Jackson 49' Clarke 54', 63' Kirkham 70' |
* Umpires: Murray Grime (AUS) Roel van Eert (NED)

### Medal round

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Gold medal match | Gold medal match |
| 21 August | 21 August |
| Netherlands | 1 (3) |
| Netherlands | 1 (3) | 23 August | 23 August |
| Germany (p.s.o.) | 1 (4) | 23 August | 23 August |
| Germany (p.s.o.) | 1 (4) | Germany | 1 |
| 21 August | 21 August | | Germany | 1 |
| 21 August | 21 August | Spain | 0 |
| Spain | 3 | Spain | 0 |
| Australia | 2 | | |
| Australia | 2 | Bronze medal match | Bronze medal match |
| | | 23 August | 23 August |
| | | Netherlands | 2 |
| | | Australia | 6 |

#### Semi-finals

* 21 August 2008 18:00
| Netherlands | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Germany |
| Hoyng 66' | Report | P. Zeller 68' |
| Penalties |||
| Taekema R. Brouwer Reckers Weusthof De Nooijer --- Taekema | 3–4 | C. Zeller Keller Meinert P. Zeller Weißenborn --- C. Zeller |
* Umpires: David Gentles (AUS) John Wright (RSA)
* 21 August 2008 20:30
| Spain | 3−2 | Australia |
| Tubau 39', 44' Freixa 68' | Report | Abbott 1' Ockenden 37' |
* Umpires: Henrik Ehlers (DEN) Christian Blasch (GER)

#### Bronze medal match

* 23 August 2008 18:00
| Netherlands | 2–6 | Australia |
| Taekema 12' De Nooijer 27' | Report | Ockenden 5', 6' Abbott 9' Matheson 28' Hammond 42' Doerner 62' |
* Umpires: Andy Mair (GBR) Christian Blasch (GER)

#### Gold medal match

* 23 August 2008 20:30
| Germany | 1–0 | Spain |
| C. Zeller 16' | Report | |
* Umpires: Henrik Ehlers (DEN) David Gentles (AUS)

## Statistics
### Final standings

* Germany
* Spain
* Australia
* Netherlands
* Great Britain
* South Korea
* New Zealand
* Pakistan
* Belgium
* Canada
* China
* South Africa

### Goalscorers

There were 174 goals scored in 38 matches, for an average of 4.58 goals per match.
11 goals
* Taeke Taekema
7 goals
* Song Yi
* Hayden Shaw
6 goals
* Des Abbott
* Eddie Ockenden
* Jang Jong-hyun
5 goals
* Jérôme Dekeyser
* Santi Freixa
4 goals
* Jamie Dwyer
* Eli Matheson
* Na Yubo
* Simon Child
* Austin Smith
3 goals
* Grant Schubert
* Florian Keller
* Matthias Witthaus
* Christopher Zeller
* Matt Daly
* Shakeel Abbasi
2 goals
* Luke Doerner
* David Guest
* Fergus Kavanagh
* John-John Dohmen
* Jérôme Truyens
* Wayne Fernandes
* Connor Grimes
* Jonty Clarke
* Ashley Jackson
* Barry Middleton
* Rob Moore
* James Tindall
* Matthijs Brouwer
* Jeroen Hertzberger
* Gareth Brooks
* Shea McAleese
* Muhammad Imran
* Muhammad Waqas
* Lungile Tsolekile
* Seo Jong-ho
* You Hyo-sik
* Pol Amat
* Xavier Ribas
* Eduard Tubau
1 goal
* Travis Brooks
* Bevan George
* Robert Hammond
* Cédric Charlier
* Gregory Gucassoff
* Xavier Reckinger
* Ranjeev Deol
* Bindi Kullar
* Ken Pereira
* Peter Short
* Rob Short
* Moritz Fürste
* Carlos Nevado
* Timo Weß
* Philip Witte
* Philipp Zeller
* Glenn Kirkham
* Richard Mantell
* Teun de Nooijer
* Laurence Docherty
* Timme Hoyng
* Roderick Weusthof
* Rehan Butt
* Syed Abbas Haider Bilgrami
* Muhammad Javed
* Adnan Maqsood
* Shafqat Rasool
* Muhammad Saqlain
* Ian Symons
* Hyun Hye-sung
* Kang Seong-jung
* Lee Nam-yong
* Yeo Woon-kon
* Yoon Sung-hoon
* Víctor Sojo
Source: FIH