Hockey Legend Dilip Tirkey To Contest From Sundargarh For BJD

Dilip Tirkey seen with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik (File Picture)

The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has fielded Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat in Odisha. The previous Indian hockey captain will lock horns with senior BJP chief Jual Oram, a five-time parliamentarian from Sundargarh.

Listed below are 5 key details about Dilip Tirkey:

1. Born on November 25, 1977, in Sundargarh, Dilip Tirkey is the son of Regina Tirkey and Vincent Tirkey, a former hockey participant. Mr Tirkey made his debut for the India again in 1995 and was a part of the squad that gained the gold on the Bangkok Asian Video games in 1998. He additionally represented the nation within the Olympics thrice – Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).

2. Underneath his captaincy, the Indian hockey staff gained a silver medal on the 2002 Asian Video games, a gold within the 2003 Afro-Asian Video games and the 2003 Asia Cup in Malaysia. He represented India in as many as 412 matches.

3. After being honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2002, Dilip Tirkey obtained Padma Shri in 2004. He introduced his retirement from hockey in 2010 and joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). In 2012, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha the place he represented his residence state till 2018.

4. In 2022, he was appointed the Hockey India President. In December 2023, he obtained an honorary PhD in Sports activities Science from Sri Sri College in Cuttack for his contributions to the sector of sports activities.

5. Dilip Tirkey made his electoral debut again in 2014. A decade in the past, Jual Oram defeated the hockey legend by over 18,000 votes.