Moscow Memories, Bengaluru Burglary: Hockey Legend MM Somaya Recounts How Stolen Olympic Gold Medal Was Won | Exclusive

Forty-six years after being part of India’s historic Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, former Indian hockey star player MM Somaya still remembers the triumph as vividly as ever.

From it being his first international tournament to the nail-biting final against Spain, Somaya recalls the journey that culminated in one of Indian hockey’s greatest victories. Now, the very gold medal that symbolised India’s historic achievement has been stolen from his Bengaluru home, leaving the former Olympian hoping that the police will recover a priceless piece of India’s sporting history.

For MM Somaya, the road to Olympic glory began in Bengaluru. It was here, at the training camps held at Kanteerava Stadium, ASC and the MEG Grounds,

that the foundations of his international hockey career were laid.

Having just completed his science graduation, Somaya was barely 21 when he earned his maiden selection to the Indian team. It was also his first opportunity to travel outside the country and compete at an international tournament.

Recalling those early days, Somaya says Bengaluru played a crucial role in shaping his career.

“The beginnings were in Bengaluru because the training camp used to be held here. They normally called about 30 to 36 players for a training camp, and that camp used to be here in Bengaluru. I owe a lot to this city because I got selected for my first international tournament here. I had never played outside the country before,” he recalls.

But stepping onto the international stage came with its own challenges. Indian hockey at the time was played largely on gravel and natural grass surfaces, while international tournaments were increasingly being played on artificial turf.

For Somaya, adapting to the unfamiliar surface, competing against physically imposing European players and travelling abroad for the first time were all significant challenges.

“At that time, there was no AstroTurf in India. We used to play on gravel grounds in Bengaluru. For me, going and playing on AstroTurf was a very big thing because I had never even seen it before. It was a great adjustment. First, I was playing outside the country for the first time. Second, I was playing against people who were almost twice my size, the Europeans. And third, I was playing on a surface that was completely alien to me. It was a very challenging tournament,” he says.

Despite the limitations in infrastructure, Somaya credits the team’s coach, Balkrishan Singh, for ensuring that the Indian players were prepared for the challenges they would face internationally.

The coach devised training methods that attempted to replicate the conditions in Moscow and also the playing styles of their European opponents.

“He used to make us play on gravel because he said the ball moves very fast on gravel and we would get a similar experience while playing on poly grass in Moscow,” Somaya explains.

The tactical differences between Indian and European hockey also required considerable preparation. While Indian teams traditionally relied on a five-three-two-one formation, European teams often played a three-three-three-one formation, involving man-to-man marking.

“He used to give us the experience of playing against this three-three-three-one formation by making us practise it in the training camps. So when we actually encountered that in Moscow, we were used to it. He helped us visualise and experience the surface as well as the formations that other teams would be playing at the Olympics. I think that benefited us considerably in the tournament,” he says.

Somaya also credits the leadership of coach Balkrishen Singh and captain V Bhaskaran for bringing the team together.

“I was just out of college. I had completed my science graduation, and not even a year after that, I was in the Indian team. The coach and captain played a very key role. They helped not only me but the entire team get together and play as a unit, and eventually we were successful,” he recalls.

Although initially expected to be among the substitutes, Somaya managed to impress the coach and captain during practice matches against local club teams in Moscow. The Indian team had travelled around ten days before the tournament, giving the players an opportunity to acclimatise and prepare.

Under the rules of hockey at the time, teams had 16 players, with 11 on the field and five on the bench. Substitution rules were far different from what they are today.

“I was supposed to be a substitute because there were more senior and experienced players. But in Moscow, before the tournament, we played practice matches against club teams. When they put me in for 10 to 15 minutes, I impressed the coach and captain. They felt I could make it directly into the playing eleven,” he says. “They threw me in at the deep end. Normally on a first tour you would go as a substitute and be an understudy to the senior players. But they made me play in the first eleven right away, and I was able to acquit myself quite well.”

The Moscow final: A nail-biting finish against Spain

India’s campaign culminated in a memorable final against Spain on July 29, 1980. The Indian team had taken control of the match early, building what appeared to be a comfortable lead. But the Spanish side mounted a late comeback, turning the closing minutes into a tense battle.

Recalling the final, Somaya says the team had been leading comfortably before Spain came back into the contest.

“Actually, it was a final. We were playing Spain, and at one stage, we were running away with the game. I think it was something like 3-0 in the first half. Later, it became 4-1, and suddenly the Spanish team, in the last 10 minutes, put a lot of pressure and scored two goals. So it became 4-3,” he recalls.

Spain’s penalty-corner specialist Juan Amat proved particularly dangerous, scoring twice and putting the Indian defence under enormous pressure.

“They had a guy called Juan Amat, and he was the world’s best. He scored two goals, and we became 4-3. Towards the end, it was very nail-biting. There were some close shaves on our goal,” Somaya says.

India eventually held on to win the final 4-3, securing the Olympic gold medal.

For Somaya, the victory was particularly special because it was his first Olympic appearance, his first international journey and his first Olympic gold. It was this very gold medal that has been robbed by thieves in the intervening night of October 28.

The team featured several celebrated players, including captain V Bhaskaran, Surinder Sodhi, Mervyn Fernandis, Mohammed Shahid and Zafar Iqbal. Somaya, who played as a right-half, says the experience of playing alongside such accomplished players helped shape his career. He went on to represent India at three Olympic Games.

A medal that symbolised India’s sporting history, now stolen

Four decades after the Moscow triumph, the Olympic medal had remained with Somaya at his home in Mumbai, where he had spent most of his professional and sporting life.

Born in Kodagu and brought up in Mumbai, Somaya had also pursued his corporate career there after retiring from professional hockey. He worked with Bharat Petroleum and had postings in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi.

Somaya’s Olympic medals remained at the Mumbai residence for nearly four decades. However, after moving to Bengaluru following his retirement, he decided to bring them to the city and keep them safely in a locker.

Unfortunately, before he could do so, his home was burgled.

The burglary took place in the intervening night of October 27 and 28, with the intruders allegedly entering the house between 2.30 am and 4.30 am.

Somaya believes the crooks may have been keeping a watch on the family’s movements, as he and his family have been travelling frequently between Bengaluru and their home in Kodagu.

“We have been spending almost as much time in Kodagu as we have in Bengaluru because the house there needed to be done up. I presume someone was observing us. This is only my presumption, but someone may have studied our movements and waited for an occasion when they knew we were not in town,” he says.

According to Somaya, the intruders appeared to have planned the burglary carefully. They allegedly arrived on a two-wheeler, with both individuals wearing helmets, making identification difficult.

The break-in was discovered by a neighbour, who noticed that the doors of the house had been left open in the morning.

“When they entered, there were two doors, a steel door and a wooden door. They bent the lock of the steel door, and because of that, they couldn’t shut it. The wooden door was also open. Both doors were left open, and that attracted the attention of a neighbour,” he says.

The neighbour, who noticed the open doors around 7 am, immediately alerted Somaya, who rushed back from Kodagu. The family also contacted relatives living nearby, who were asked to inform the police.

The police were alerted around 8.30 am, and Somaya reached the house later that day to assess the damage and file a written complaint. An FIR was subsequently registered.

Somaya says there was no delay in handing over the available CCTV footage to the police. Cameras installed at neighbouring houses had captured the two suspects arriving on a two-wheeler.

“Within five hours, around 10 am, we gave whatever footage and grabs were available from the CCTV cameras to the police. There was no delay from our side,” he says.

However, the helmets worn by the accused have made identification more challenging.

“They wore helmets right from the time they entered. Even if we had CCTV cameras at our house, it would have been difficult because they were wearing helmets. They seem to be professional housebreakers,” Somaya says.

The investigation

Meanwhile, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told CNN-News18 that special teams have been formed under led by DCP East, Vikram Amte.

Police have collected CCTV images and footage from several houses in the neighbourhood. Investigators are also examining the route allegedly taken by the burglars before and after the break-in to establish their movements.

Police suspect that the criminals may have been scouting the area and could have been aware of the Somaya family’s movements before executing the burglary. The investigation is currently focused on piecing together the CCTV trail and identifying the suspects.

“We have set up five major teams, and all of them are at work. We have cracked many such cases earlier as well, and we are hopeful that this case too will be traced as soon as possible,” Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told CNN-News18.

Why Indian hockey has struggled to reclaim its Olympic glory

India’s Moscow triumph remains particularly significant because it was the country’s last Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey. While India has since returned to the Olympic podium, winning bronze medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games, the elusive gold has remained out of reach.

Somaya believes the game itself has undergone a dramatic transformation, with speed, physical strength and power increasingly determining the outcome of international matches.

“One of the reasons could be consistency in our players’ performances. We are very good, but we can be very inconsistent at times. We don’t have that kind of steady performance right through the tournaments,” he says.

“But more importantly, the game has changed and become such a fast and power-oriented game. It favours the Europeans more than it ever did before. They were always a little stronger than us physically, but skills-wise, we always had an edge. India and Pakistan had that advantage.”

According to him, modern hockey demands a different set of skills, with greater emphasis on hitting, running and physical endurance rather than the delicate dribbling skills that once gave Indian hockey its dominance.

“The skill sets required today are slightly different. It is more about the power skills that are effective. These are not the delicate dribbling skills that Indians and Pakistanis used earlier, which gained us supremacy. I think the game has changed into a power-and-speed game. Pakistan has been left way behind, while India has managed to make up ground,” he says.

He believes the two consecutive Olympic bronze medals India recently won provide the needed confidence to win more games and even another Olympic gold.

“Those two bronze medals in the Olympics are good morale boosters and could probably be stepping stones for us to do more consistently in the times ahead,” he told CNN-News18.