Field hockey factbox for Athens 2004

ATHENS, July 9 (Reuters) -- Factbox on hockey at the August 13-29 Athens Olympics:

HISTORY

Forms of hockey were played in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome as well as by the Aztecs. The game was standardised by the British at the end of the 18th century, primarily as a school sport.

It was included in the Olympics as a men's sport for the first time at the 1908 Games in London. Women's hockey was added to the Games in Moscow in 1980.

The sport's governing body, the International Hockey Federation, was founded in 1924 and now has 112 members.

The outdoor version of the game was traditionally played on grass but synthetic pitches are more often used for top-level competitions.

EVENTS

Men's tournament (12 teams)

Women's tournament (10 teams)

Matches will be played outdoors on a synthetic pitch.

2000 CHAMPIONS

Men: Netherlands

Women: Australia

OLYMPIC PROGRAMME

August 14: Women's preliminaries

August 15: Men's preliminaries

August 16: Women's preliminaries

August 17: Men's preliminaries

August 18: Women's preliminaries

August 19: Men's preliminaries

August 20: Women's preliminaries

August 21: Men's preliminaries

August 22: Women's preliminaries

August 23: Men's preliminaries

August 24: Women's classification matches (fifth to eighth

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place)

Women's semi-finals

August 25: Men's classification matches (fifth to 12th

place)

Men's semi-finals

August 26: Women's bronze-medal match

Women's final

August 27: Men's bronze-medal match

Men's final

VENUE

Hockey will be played on two pitches at the Olympic Hockey

Centre in the Hellenikon Olympic Complex on the site of the old

Athens airport. There are seats for 8,300 spectators.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

www.fihockey.org

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