The field hockey tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy was contested from August 26 to September 9, with sixteen participating teams. Only men competed in field hockey at these Games. Pakistan won the gold medal, defeating India in the final and ending India's run of six successive gold medals. Spain won the bronze medal.
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Participating nations
Sixteen teams were placed into four preliminary groups of four teams each. After a preliminary round-robin set of matches, the top two teams in each group advanced to the quarter-finals.
India advanced to the quarter-finals. New Zealand and the Netherlands played a tie-breaker match to determine second place in the group. Denmark continued to the classification matches for 13th–16th place.
Pakistan advanced to the quarter-finals. Australia and Poland played a tie-breaker match to determine second place in the group. Japan continued to the classification matches for 13th–16th place.
Kenya and Germany advanced to the quarter-finals. France continued to the classification matches for 9th–12th place. Italy continued to the classification matches for 13th–16th place.
Spain and Great Britain advanced to the quarter-finals. Belgium continued to the classification matches for 9th–12th place. Switzerland continued to the classification matches for 13th–16th place.
The match was abandoned due to darkness with the score tied at 1-1 after 40 minutes of extra time. Australia was initially awarded the match after a coin toss, but after an appeal by Kenya, the match was declared drawn and a replay was ordered.
Campo Tre Fontane Umpires: Burgess (GBR), Asselman (BEL)
After the Australia-Kenya match was declared a draw and a replay ordered on appeal, this match was declared null and void, and a replay was ordered between New Zealand and the winner of the Australia-Kenya replay.
Campo Tre Fontane Umpires: Burgess (GBR), van Ballgoijen de Jong (NED)
Note: The seventh place match between Germany and Kenya was scratched as the German team had flown home after the Closing Ceremony. Both teams were awarded joint seventh place.
Ninth to twelfth place
As Poland declined to participate in the classification matches, they were awarded twelfth place: the other three teams played a round-robin set of matches.
Campo Tre Fontane Umpires: Burgess (GBR), Harasta (AUT)
An Italian traffic policeman on duty just outside the field, blew his whistle. The Belgians thought it was the umpire's whistle and stopped playing, whereupon the French scored the only goal of the game.[2]
As Denmark declined to participate in the classification matches, they were awarded sixteenth place. The other three teams played a round-robin set of matches.