Dilip Tirkey files for President, Hockey India
Can he bring his acumen on field to the administrative table is the question; can we see T20 Hockey in future?
Youth and talent could revitalise Indian hockey; pic - Dilip Tirkey
Former India hockey team captain Dr. Dilip Kumar Tirkey has filed his nomination for the post of President, Hockey India.
Indian hockey has a glorious past, with Olympic golds until 1956 and then again in 1964 and 1980. However, the national sport of India faded since then, partly owing to the introduction of turf/speed hockey when the art of dribbling took the back seat.
With the emergence of new players, especially from Odisha, Indian hockey started its rise once again. Dilip Tirkey, who is known as one of the best defenders in the world, led this return. Known for his cool tempers and meticulous penalty corner strikes, Tirkey changed the focus from forwards to defenders and goal posts, which continues to help India till date.
Some of the key obstacles in popularisation of hockey in India have been lack of infrastructure and financial opportunities compared with the more popular cricket. Most schools and colleges in India lack any facility for hockey – most don’t even have hockey sticks though most have cricket kits for students.
Cricket also has another advantage in terms of gaps between shots and overs, which allows companies to advertise their products – this has given rise to new formats of cricket like T20. Hockey has also tried something similar, but measures have been insufficient so far.
While filing his nomination, Padmashree and Arjuna Awardee, Tirkey said he is committed to take Indian Hockey to new heights. In a recent interview, Tirkey had said that it is his goal to popularise hockey at the district level.
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