Olympics 2008

Twenty years ago, British hockey enjoyed its finest hour. On a sweltering afternoon in Seoul, a 3-1 win over West Germany prompted wild celebrations.

The amateurs assembled under Richard Dodds' captaincy were deservedly crowned Olympic champions, but rather than heralding a period of dominance and trophies, the game in this country stagnated. Two decades on, do Jason Lee and Danny Kerry's sides have what it takes to win gold for Britain in Beijing?

The easy answer is probably no, given current form and world rankings. Both the GB men and women seem short of genuine world-class players, but there is nothing like an Olympic Games to galvanise a group. It's their Everest, and for some, it's the only chance they will have to showcase their talents on the global stage.

Britain's women have known for some time that they would be in Beijing - their qualification was confirmed last August via the European Nations Championship, staged in Manchester. More recently, they suffered a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the very impressive Australians Down Under, but they bounced back with a series win over Ireland.

The men were unable to seal the deal in Manchester. Instead they travelled to Chile for a tough assignment - they had to win the qualification event there to ensure their passage to China. They did just that, with six wins back-to-back - and they knocked out India in the final.

It's the first time the Indians haven't qualified for the Olympics since 1928, and although it's disappointing not to see the eight-times gold medallists reaching Beijing, it represents a major scalp for Jason Lee's side. Let's hope they can take the success even further in China.