India competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States with fewer than 50 athletes despite being the second most populous country in the world after China which had one of the strongest & largest contingents of athletes. Leander Paes’ bronze medal was the only medal which India won ending a 44-year-old wait since an Indian last won an Individual medal at the Olympics when K.D. Jadhav won a bronze for freestyle bantamweight wrestling at 1952 Summer Olympics, Helsinki. This medal was also India’s first since the 1980 Moscow Olympics where the men’s hockey team won a gold medal. India had no participation from women in sports like Archery, Boxing, Equestrian, Field Hockey, Shooting, Tennis, Weightlifting & Wrestling. India’s hope of winning a medal was solely on the men’s field hockey team but they were not even able to get past the group stage as they finished behind the winners Spain & runners-up Germany in the Group A despite winning against Spain and drawing with Germany.