Former India hockey captain Dilip Tirkey unanimously elected as president

Dilip Tirkey, a former India hockey captain and member of the gold medal-winning team at the 1998 Asian Games, was unanimously elected as Hockey India (HI) president yesterday. First time in history, a former sportsperson and an Olympian has gone on to head the national body.

 

Tirkey, 44, has a record 412 international matches as a defender in his career spanning more than 15 years. He represented India at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, Sydney



in 2000, and Athens in 2004. The Hockey India elections were supposed to be completed by October 9, according to the deadline set in August by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Committee of Administrators (CoA).

Prior to Tirkey's election as president, Hockey India was subject to the COA's jurisdiction on the orders of the Delhi High Court due to an alleged violation of the National Sports Act.