By Purushottam Nayak
Bhubaneswar, Sept 24, 2022: The Church in India has congratulated Dilip Tirkey, who was elected unopposed as the president of the Hockey Federation of India.
“We extend our congratulations to Dilip Tirkey for this new top job in India. The Church of India is definitely proud of him,” said Divine Word Father Nicholas Barla, secretary of the Office of Tribal Affairs under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI).
Tirkey, a former India captain, on September 23 became Hockey India’s first player-president of the federation.
Hockey India elections were scheduled for October 1 but the results were declared in advance as there were no contestants.
Tirkey was elected after Uttar Pradesh Hockey chief Rakesh Katyal and Hockey Jharkhand’s Bhola Nath Singh withdrew their nominations.
Father Barla says Tirkey has come up from a rural set up in Sundargarh district of the eastern Indian state of Odisha, considered the hockey garden of the country. “We expect him to provide opportunities for rural as well talented youth,” he continued.
Father Anil Kujur of Sambalpur diocese, a hockey playing priest, too expressed happiness over Tirkey’s election.
He too expects Tirkey to discover and nurture talented hockey players from Odisha and provide them opportunities at national and international level.
Father Kujur wants Tirkey to use his new position to introduce better infrastructure and technical assistance for the professional training of young hockey players.
Father Rajendra Kujur of Sambalpur, another hockey playing priest and coach in a school, says he was overwhelmed that Tirkey, a Catholic, has achieved the top in the Indian Hockey Federation.
Tirkey is a recipient of Padma Shree, India’s fourth highest civilian award.
Father Kujur wants Tirkey to focus on making sports school and hostel to groom players from the grassroots. “This effort will certainly make students expert, efficient and confident in hockey,” he told Matters India.
Father Kujur recalls Tirkey conducting Hockey Olympiad in Sundargargh district where 1,000 teams participated that helped revive hockey craze again in the region. Hockey Gangpur was his original concept and grassroots centers with turf ground are his initiative. Now that he is on the chair he has whole space just in front of him he is efficient and experienced besides his truthfulness and righteousness, the priest added.
Sujata Ekka, a young woman hockey player from Sundargarh, said she was proud of being a native of Odisha that has produced both the president of India and head of the Hockey India.
Tirkey hails from Saunamara, a remote tribal village in Sundargarh district under Rourkela diocese. His parents are Vincent Tirkey, a former Odia hockey player and Regina Tirkey. He was born November 25, 1977, and made his debut in 1995 against England.
He has played 412 international matches in his career from 1995 to 2009 and excelled in defence and penalty corner. He is the only tribal hockey player to represent India in three Olympics Games as captain.