Hockey India President: Former captain of the Indian hockey team, Dilip Tirkey, was elected as the president of Hockey India on Friday. The defender got the role only after two other candidatures decided to withdraw their nominations. He had filed his nomination for the top post on September 18. Follow Hockey India live updates with InsideSport.IN
He was against Rakesh Katyal and Bhola Nath, both withdrew. It is understood that both of them withdrew from their nominations to showcase their support towards Tirkey. However, Bhola Nath is the new secretary general of Hockey India as well. September 23 (today) was the last day to withdraw nominations.
Originally, the Hockey India elections was supposed to be held on the 1st of October. But they have already declared a week in advance. It is important to note that Hockey India was under CoA due to the violation of the National Sports Code.
The situation had come to such for India that the upcoming Hockey World Cup next year in Odisha was in jeopardy. The international body had warned them to host elections. A deadline was set for the same as well. Tirkey also took upon Twitter to thank CoA members and others for allowing him to become the new president of HI.
Thanks @DrSYQuraishi & @FIH_Hockey for conducting smooth elections of @TheHockeyIndia. I will ensure that Indian hockey reaches to new heights.@CMO_Odisha @Media_SAI @IndiaSports pic.twitter.com/romj3xJQwR
— Dilip Kumar Tirkey (@DilipTirkey) September 23, 2022
Tirkey is one of the most well known names in Indian hockey. The defender has played more than 400 matches for India with a career, which spans more than 15 years. Him taking over as President could be a huge boost for Indian hockey. With massive international experience, including three Olympics, Dilip knows the ins and outs and the demands of the game as well.
“We are pleased to observe that the Executive Board of Hockey India stands elected as has been put on the website of Hockey India from today, and that the posts election was unanimous for all posts. We are delighted that the election process has been completed and a democratically body is now in place,” the FIH said in its letter.
“We extend our congratulations to Dr. Dilip Tirkey, Mr. Bhola Nath Singh (secretary-general) and Mr. Sekar J. Manoharan (treasurer) and look forward to working with them closely. We have appreciated the effective efforts of the CoA over the past couple of months to restore the democratically elected body in Hockey India.”
