Bhubaneswar: Hockey Odisha office-bearers and some former players on Sunday raised a serious allegation against Hockey India (HI) president Dilip Kumar Tirkey.
They alleged undue interference by Tirkey in the functioning of the sports body in the state.
“The administration of hockey in the state was being hijacked and manipulated by Hockey India president Dilip Kumar Tirkey,” Hockey Odisha general secretary Pratap Satpathy complained at a press conference.
Satpathy pleaded for immediate intervention of the state government to restore transparency and proper functioning in the hockey administration in Odisha.
Hockey Odisha officials claimed that the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government was in cahoots with Tirkey, a former Rajya Sabha MP who had formed the Hockey Association of Odisha in violation of the charter of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“The tenure of the executive committee of the illegally-formed Hockey Association of Odisha expired on May 17 this year. However, the association is yet to conduct election for the new executive committee,” Satpathy said.
The office-bearers questioned the composition of several district hockey associations, which constitute the electoral base of Hockey Odisha. They also objected to the presence of government officials, including IAS officers, as ex-officio office-bearers in district units and sought clarity on whether the present arrangements conform to the applicable rules governing the state association.
“Odisha has built an extraordinary hockey ecosystem through its players, coaches, administrators and supporters. That legacy cannot be allowed to become the preserve of a few individuals. If there are questions about the electoral college, district associations or the continuation of an executive committee beyond its prescribed tenure, the state government must intervene immediately and form a duly democratic set-up as per IOC charter,” Satpathy demanded.
Former Odisha captain and joint secretary of the state body Pranab Kishore Patnaik, former state vice-captain and Hockey Odisha treasurer Amar Kumar Mohanty, former hockey player Nirmal Bal and Hockey Odisha executive member Debabrata Pati were among others present at the press conference.
