It was a huge day for Odisha as son of the soil Dilip Tirkey was elected unopposed as the Hockey India (HI) president on Friday after Jharkhand Hockey’s Bhola Nath Singh withdrew his nomination for the post. Uttar Pradesh Hockey chief Rakesh Katyal had also filed nomination for the role but had withdrawn his submission earlier.
Born in Sundergarh district – home of some of the biggest names of Indian hockey – Tirkey went on to captain the Indian national side and played as many as 412 international matches – still the highest by an Indian.
Speaking to TOI after the announcement, Tirkey was full of gratitude for getting the opportunity to lead Hockey India and said his main focus would be on improving the game at the junior and sub-junior levels.
“I want to focus on the junior and the sub-junior levels a lot more because that’s where our future lies. We have to make sure that they get the best infrastructure for practicing their game and play intelligent hockey. Also, it’s important that they get to play matches more frequently. Most importantly we need to have a specific training programme for them,” Tirkey told the TOI on Friday.
While he sounded pleased with the way the women’s team has been performing in recent times, he said the major focus will be on producing better goalkeepers and drag flickers regularly.
“We need to produce more world-class goalkeepers and drag flickers. We need to have specific programmes to find out who will be the next PR Sreejesh or who will be able to come in after Harmanpreet Singh. For this to happen, we will try to provide the best coaches available,”
Tirkey’s biggest challenge at hand will be the 2023 men’s World Cup which will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13-29 and he is confident of delivering another spectacle.
“Odisha government has been hosting international hockey tournaments for a while now and the state was highly successful in hosting the last World Cup. This time also the government and Hockey India want to make the event a memorable one for the people of the country and the fans from all around the world and will not leave any stone unturned for that to happen,” said the former India captain.
Although Odisha has been successfully hosting international hockey events regularly over the past few years, there has been criticism from various quarters questioning why HI hasn’t chosen other states to host some of the events.
Addressing the issue, Tirkey said, “Odisha government has been giving its all-out support. They have been sponsoring the teams and providing world class facilities so that the big events can be hosted. One should welcome these efforts made by the state. After all, it's there for everyone to see how both the men’s and women’s teams have improved over the past few years. Also, the craze for the sport among fans is not something that can be overlooked.”
After a long wait of 41 years, the Indian men’s team won an Olympic medal when they grabbed the bronze in Tokyo in 2021. The women’s team also finished a creditable fourth at the Olympics and recently won the bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
But the new HI president added, “We want to spread the game and host events in the future in places where there’s love for the sport and all the required facilities are available.”
The last time an international hockey event was held outside Odisha was when the junior hockey World Cup was held in Lucknow in 2016 with India clinching the gold under coach Harendra Singh.
Meanwhile, Tirkey is well aware of the ‘huge responsibility’ at hand and hopes to take the good work forward done by everyone. “It is because of Hockey India, the effort and hard work of the players and the support of the Odisha government and chief minister Naveen Patnaik that the sport has reached this level in the country today,” he added.
Keeping aside the men’s World Cup, Odisha will also be hosting the Pro League and that will be the first test for the newly-elected president. Hopefully, he will be able to pass it with flying colours.
