Dilip Tirkey was the anchor of India’s defence for well over a decade. He played at three Olympic Games, captained the national team, and won more than 400 caps, a mark very few Indian players have reached. He comes from the tribal belt of Sundargarh in Odisha, and after his playing career he became a Rajya Sabha MP and then president of Hockey India.
Name: Dilip Tirkey
Born: 25 November 1977, Saunamara, Sundargarh, Odisha
Sport: Hockey
Position: Defender
Sundargarh
Tirkey was born on 25 November 1977 in Saunamara, a village in Sundargarh district, where hockey is played in almost every village. He made his senior India debut in 1995.
He was a strong, composed defender with a good tackle and a hard hit, and he took penalty corners for much of his career.
Three Olympics
Tirkey played at the 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics. India finished eighth, seventh and seventh. He was among the most consistent performers in those squads and captained India in the years that followed Sydney.
Titles in Asia
He was part of the team that won Asian Games gold at Bangkok in 1998, India’s first in 32 years, and silver at Busan in 2002. India won the Afro-Asian Games gold at Hyderabad in 2003 and the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur the same year, beating Pakistan in the final. He also played at several World Cups and Champions Trophies before retiring from international hockey in 2010.
Parliament and Hockey India
Tirkey was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Biju Janata Dal in 2012 and served until 2018. He used the seat to raise the problems of former international players without jobs. In 2022 he was elected president of Hockey India. He has also worked with the Odisha government, which became the main sponsor of the national hockey teams.
He received the Arjuna Award in 2002 and the Padma Shri in 2004.
Career record and honours
- More than 400 international matches for India
- Olympic appearances: Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004
- Asian Games gold medal: Bangkok 1998
- Asian Games silver medal: Busan 2002
- Asia Cup gold medal: Kuala Lumpur 2003
- Afro-Asian Games gold medal: Hyderabad 2003
- Arjuna Award (2002)
- Padma Shri (2004)
- Member of the Rajya Sabha (2012 to 2018)
- President of Hockey India (from 2022)
