India at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Background

India competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics held in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the country's second participation in the Summer Olympics after a single athlete (Norman Pritchard) competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics.

During a sports meet at the Deccan Gymkhana in Pune in 1919, the Gymkhana president Dorabji Tata expressed a desire for India to take part in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He requested Lloyd George, the Governor of Bombay, who presided the meet, to secure representation for India at the Olympics through the British Olympic Committee. As a result, in February 1920, the International Olympic Committee granted India affiliation to participate in the Olympic Games.

Thereafter, a committee consisting of Dorab Tata, Hassan Ali Fyzee, Sohrab bhoot, and other Deccan Gymkhana members met in March 1920 to discuss India's Olympic participation, and decided to hold a trial meet in Pune in April 1920. At the trial meet, the committee selected Purma Bannerjee, P. D. Chaugule, Sadashiv Datar, and H. D. Kaikadi for athletics, Dinkarrao Shinde and Kumar Navale for wrestling. Bhoot was the manager and Fyzee was the medical officer and adviser for the team. Dorabji Tata donated ₹8,000 (equivalent to ₹1.6 million or US$17,000 in 2026), while the Indian government gave ₹6,000 (equivalent to ₹1.2 million or US$12,000 in 2026), with private donations amounting to ₹7,000 (equivalent to ₹1.4 million or US$14,000 in 2026).

The team left Bombay on 5 June aboard the SS Mantua, and trained in Stamford Bridge in London for six weeks under English coach H. Parry before proceeding to Antwerp. After the Games, Bhoot submitted a report mentioning that India could have future Olympic success in hockey and wrestling and made recommendations concerning technical, organisational, and training issues for future Olympic teams. The committee that sent the team met again, and on the advice of Dorabji Tata, and formed the provisional Indian Olympic Committee with Tata as its president and A. G. Noehren as secretary. This provisional committee sent an Indian team to the 1924 Summer Olympics, and became the Indian Olympic Association in 1927.