Odisha Hockey: Dilip Tirkey ‘Privileged’ To Be Chairman Of Ad-Hoc Committee

Bhubaneswar: Dilip Tirkey is ‘privileged’ and ‘honoured’ to have been unanimously appointed chairman of the newly-formed ad-hoc committee to manage hockey in Odisha.

“This is a huge privilege and I am deeply honoured. This is an opportunity for the committee to take immediate and necessary action for securing the interest of hockey players of Odisha across different age categories and, simultaneously, handle the management of district hockey associations,” said Odisha’s only three-time Olympian Tirkey, who is also chairman of Odisha Hockey Promotion Council.

Taking pride in three players being included in the Indian men’s team for the upcoming Olympic Games, Tirkey remarked: “Today, three hockey players from Odisha have been selected to the Indian national hockey teams for Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In the coming years, we will work towards nurturing more players from the state.”

The ad-hoc committee, which met for the first time virtually, will manage operations and promotion of hockey across Odisha and ensure development of players.

The other members of the committee include Adhip Das, representative of Odisha Olympic Association; Bhola Nath, vice-president Hockey India; Shailendra Jena, deputy secretary, Sports and Youth Services, Odisha government as member convener; and Rajendra Pani, under-secretary, Sports and Youth Services department.