India men's hockey head coach Craig Fulton has set his sights firmly on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, saying a comprehensive squad overhaul — blending youth with experience — will begin immediately after the Hockey India League (HIL) concludes. His remarks follow the Indian men's hockey team's historic achievement of defending their Asian Games title for the very first time in the sport's history, at Nagoya, Japan.

The Road to LA 2028

Fulton acknowledged that while two years may appear a long stretch, the Olympic cycle moves swiftly. “LA 2028 is within two years. It seems a long way off, but it obviously comes around pretty quick,” the coach said. He outlined a phased preparation plan — covering the two-year, one-year, and six-month windows — with squad selection and scheduling to be finalised after the HIL wraps up.

“In the next two-three months, I think just post the Hockey India League, we’ll have a look at all the talent that we have, choose a new squad, and start afresh from there,” the 51-year-old added. He pointed to a deep pool of emerging talent in the India A side and a competitive Under-21 programme as strong foundations for the rebuild.

Historic Double Gold at Nagoya

India’s gold at Nagoya was the team’s fifth overall in the continental showpiece, following triumphs at Bangkok 1966, Bangkok 1998, Incheon 2014, and Hangzhou 2022. Crucially, this edition marked the first-ever double gold finish for both the men’s and women’s hockey teams at a single Asian Games — only the third Indian team sport to achieve such a feat after Kabaddi and Cricket at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Fulton, who represented South Africa in the 1996 and 2004 Summer Olympics, was candid about the unique atmosphere in Nagoya, noting the absence of a traditional Games Village made this campaign distinctly different from Hangzhou. “Hangzhou, being the first gold medal, was very special. But to come back and defend back-to-back golds is always special,” he said.

India vs Pakistan: A Nerve-Wracking Semi-Final

The semifinal against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium exemplified the team’s resilience. India led 3-0 through captain Harmanpreet Singh (5’, 13’) and Sukhjeet Singh (23’), only for Pakistan to storm back through Abu Mahmood (30’), Hannan Shahid (45’), and Waheed Rana (49’) to level at 3-3. A last-minute strike from Abhishek sealed a dramatic 4-3 win and India’s passage to the final.

Reflecting on the roller-coaster contest, Fulton said: “Pakistan is that team that if you give them any free opportunities, they take them… They came back nicely and put us under a lot of pressure from 3-0 to 3-all. We found a way in the last minute to do so and to get the fourth goal, which helped us make the final.”

SAI Backing and the Bigger Picture

The twin gold medals were underpinned by a combined investment of ₹77.8 crore by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) across both squads, covering national coaching camps, international competition exposure, remuneration for foreign coaches, and equipment support.

Fulton credited government backing as transformative. “The government is our biggest supporter in terms of the resources and the funds that they put forward to helping the grassroots programs all the way through to the 18s, 21s, seniors,” he said. He also pointed to strong performances at recent global events — the women’s team’s World Cup run and the men’s standout campaign at the Paris Olympics — as proof that Indian hockey is trending upward. The next frontier, he made clear, is sustained dominance on the world stage.