International competition began in 1895 and men's field hockey first appeared in the Olympics in London (1908), then again in Antwerp (1920) and became a permanent fixture in the Games of 1928 in Amsterdam. The call for more international matches led to the introduction of the World Cup (1971) and some of the other major international tournaments include the Asian Cup, Asian Games, European Cup, and Pan-American Games. 

India is the most powerful field hockey nation in Olympic history - a fact which is not as unusual as one might think, since the sport there is comparable to what college football is to the state of Nebraska (people who follow American college football will understand this comparison). Between 1928 and 1956, India won six gold medals and 30 consecutive games. The streak ended in 1960 with a loss to Pakistan in the finals. 
 

So that you can get an idea of the major countries which participate in field hockey the following is a list of the nations which competed in the last olympics: Australia, Great Britain, the Netherlands, India, Pakistan, Germany, South Africa, United States of America, Argentina, Spain, Korea, and Malaysia.