Former Indian skipper of Hockey team, Dilip Tirkey got elected as the president of Hockey India, this Friday. He got the position without any opposition since the two other candidates withdrew their nominations. He registered for his nomination on September 18.
Rakesh Katyal and Bhola Nath, both of them who were supposed to be his competitors, withdrew from the competition to show their support for Tirkey. Bhola Nath is the new secretary general of Hockey India.
The Indian elections were supposed to be held on October 1 however the results got declared one week before.
It had become so bad for India that the impending Hockey World Cup in Odisha the following year was in jeopardy. They had been forewarned by the international organization to hold elections. For the same, a deadline was also established. Tirkey expressed his gratitude via Twitter to thank CoA members and others for making him the new president.
Tirkey is one of the most renowned names in Indian Hockey. He has played a total of 400 matches for India and had a career of over 15 years. He got elected as president which is a huge boost for Indian hockey. With a huge experience, he knows everything about the game.
“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 democratic body is now in place.” the FIH said in its letter.
Odisha is set to host the highly esteemed men’s Hockey World Cup for the second time in Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela next year.
The hockey community would anticipate Dilip to take responsibility of the game once more, although in a new role.