when did india first participated in olympics football
History of Indian football On their way to 1948 London Olympics, Chinese team again visited India, where they played Mohammedan fc, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan then finally on 17th July 1948, a friendly match held at Kolkata, where they were defeated by the Indian national side by 0-1 score.[9] The 1948 London Olympics was India's first major international tournament, where a predominately barefooted Indian team lost 2–1 to France, failing to convert two penalties. The Indian team was greeted and appreciated by the crowd for their sporting manner."The French had been given a run for their money – and that, too, by the barefooted Indians!", the british media expressed..[3] At a press conference, shortly after, the Indians were asked why they played barefooted. The ever witty then Indian captain Talimeren Ao said, “Well, you see, we play football in India, whereas you play BOOTBALL!” which was applauded by the British. The next day, that comment was splashed in the newspapers of London.[10][11] Sarangapani Raman scored the only goal for India in that match and thus the first Indian international goal ever in the Olympics.