Tirkey promises to take Indian hockey at new heights

 By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Sept 26

THE election of former India captain Dilip Tirkey as the President of Hockey India has been the best possible thing to happen in the recent past for the game in India. Tirkey, a three-time Olympian, has become the first international player to head Indian hockey administration in the last 97 years of history in the country. The election to the president’s post as an unopposed candidate proves Tirkey’s popularity in the country. The two other contestants, Uttar Pradesh’s Rakesh Katiyal and Jharkhand’s Bhola Nath Singh, withdrew their nominations respecting Tirkey’s stature and trusting in his abilities.

However, Tirkey has a tough task at hand. He has promised to take Indian hockey at new heights. Another area he will have to give stress is at the grassroot level. India has a huge pool of budding players at sub-junior and junior levels. It will be up to his team to identify the right players and channel them in the right direction. He will have to put a system in place where the right player is groomed at the right time and in correct manner.

Tirkey is very much aware where the talent comes from in our country. It is the hinterlands where he will have to concentrate without neglecting the urban areas. He himself coming from a remote place like Sundergarh in Odisha, 44-year-old Tirkey might be well aware of tapping the talent from such areas all over the country, not only from Odisha or Jharkhand. It will be his team’s task to make sure that the game is developed in other regions of the country as well. Reviving old tournaments that had produced India material will also be in Tirkey’s mind. He will have to sit with all the stakeholders and prepare a blueprint to take the game to new heights.

Tirkey would be the fourth Indian sportsperson, who have represented the country, to head a sports federation. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is heading the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI). Former Indian goalkeeper Kalyan Choube was recently elected as the President of Indian Football Federation (AIFF). Another ex-Indian athlete Adille Sumariwalla is the 

chief of Indian Athletics Federation (AFI).

The calm, down to earth and disciplined character he is, Tirkey had been the flag-bearer of Indian hockey for more than a decade. He was the original wall of Indian defence helping Team India win many titles. After his retirement from the game in 2010, Tirkey joined politics (he is former BJD MP from Odisha) and sports administration (Chief of Odisha Hockey Federation) in Odisha. He was instrumental in promoting and popularising the game in Odisha further along with Chief Minister Navin Patnaik. The two joined hands and put Odisha, especially Bhubaneshwar, on the world hockey map by organising World Cup, FIH Pro Leagues and other tournaments. Not only organising tournaments in the best possible way, Odisha has been developed as the ‘Sports State’ with CM Patnaik giving 

thrust on building stadiums and providing infrastructure all over Odisha.

Tirkey rightly credited CM Patnaik for his election to President’s post. He recently had said that it is because of CM Patnaik’s love for sports that Odisha is able to 

organise such international level events. That also helped Tirkey in winning the hearts of all the other contestants who were fray.

The immediate biggest assignment for Tirkey will be the FIH World Cup in 2023 in Odisha. It will be the first big test of his administrative skills. Tirkey is not new to such big events but being at the helm and guiding all his men would test him for the first time. How successful he will be, will chart the way ahead for Indian hockey which has in the recent past seen an upward journey since the bronze medal by the men’s at Tokyo Olympics and a creditable fourth place finish by the women’s team. It is time for the former India defender to capitalise on that success.