Bubli Chohan

The son of a high-level amateur Indian field hockey player, Paul Chohan moved to Canada with his family in the early 1960s and took an immediate liking to his father’s sport of choice. By the age of 10 he was already excelling in field hockey and, at 16, was selected to join the Canadian men’s national field hockey team. His first major international tournament was the 1975 Pan American Games, where the Canadian squad won a silver medal after losing the final to Argentina. His next stop was the 1976 Summer Olympics, where his nation finished 10th in a home Olympics after being eliminated in the preliminary rounds for having won one game and lost four. His luck did not improve at the 1978 World Cup, where the Canadians finished 11th, although they managed to defend their silver medal at the 1979 Pan American Games, once again losing the final to Argentina. He claimed gold at the 1983 edition, however, as the Canadians were finally able to overcome their long-time national rivals.

With Canada having joined the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, Chohan’s next opportunity for Olympic glory came in 1984, but again his nation placed 10th, this time tying once and losing their other four matches. Canada remained in 10th for the 1986 World Cup, but defended its gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. The nation slipped to 11th at the 1988 Summer Olympics, with a total record of one win, two ties, and four losses, which was also its rank at the 1990 World Cup. Argentina reclaimed Pan American gold in 1991, leaving the Canadians with silver, and repeated this feat in 1995, where Chohan served as flagbearer and won his final major international medal. He earned the last of his impressive 317 international caps in 1997 and retired from the sport the following year, having been a member of the national team for nearly two and a half decades. His international record also includes four International Cups (1977, 1981, 1985, and 1989), while domestically he played for the Vancouver India Hockey Club as a midfielder. He was inducted into the Field Hockey Canada Hall of Fame in 2014.