The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has fielded Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat in Odisha. The former Indian hockey captain will lock horns with senior BJP leader Jual Oram, a five-time parliamentarian from Sundargarh.
Here are five key facts 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 player. Mr Tirkey made his debut for the India back in 1995 and was part of the squad that won the gold at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998. He also represented the country in the Olympics thrice – Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).
2. Under his captaincy, the Indian hockey team won a silver medal at the 2002 Asian Games, a gold in the 2003 Afro-Asian 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 received Padma Shri in 2004. He announced his retirement from hockey in 2010 and joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). In 2012, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha where he represented his home state until 2018.
4. In 2022, he was appointed the Hockey India President. In December 2023, he received an honorary PhD in Sports Science from Sri Sri University in Cuttack for his contributions to the field of sports.
5. Dilip Tirkey made his electoral debut back in 2014. A decade ago, Jual Oram defeated the hockey legend by over 18,000 votes.
