Bhubaneswar Hockey Club Trust (BHCT) today announced to organise a youth (U-19) hockey tournament in the memory of tribal hockey legend Michael Kindo at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar from 25 to 27 April 2025. Kindo was a member of the Indian mens hockey team that won the World Cup gold medal for the first and only time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1975.
Born in Simdega, Jharkhand, Kindo represented Odisha in the Senior National Championships from 1978 to 1980 after joining Rourkela Steel Plant in 1977. He was also part of the Indian team that bagged bronze medal in 1972 Munich Olympic Games, silver in 1973 Amsterdam World Cup, bronze in 1971 Barcelona World Cup and silver in 1974 Tehran Asian Games.
“The 1st Michael Kindo Memorial Youth Hockey Tournament will be organised in collaboration with Hockey Association of Odisha (HAO) and the Government of Odisha. According to the advice of Hockey India and HOA president Dilip Tirkey, we are organising this tournament with the objective to promote hockey at the grassroots level,” said BHCT chairman Capt Ratikanta Nayak in a press conference at a city hotel in Bhubaneswar.
He claimed that BHCT is a registered body and got the affiliation of HAO two years back. “BHCT team participated in the State Junior Hockey Championship in Rourkela. Our players train at Kishannagar,” added secretary Ranjan Das.
A total of nine teams are set to compete in the three-day tournament. The nine teams are: Hockey Training Centres of Chhatrapur, Jajpur, Cuttack, Ranapur, Bhubaneswar, Dhenkanal, Puri, PPL Paradip and host BHCT.
Hockey Olympian and former Rajya Sabha Member Dilip Tirkey, BHCT president Capt Biswabijay Sahoo, member Biswajeet Sahoo were present at the press conference, along with guests.
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PHOTO: Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey and office-bearers of Bhubaneswar Hockey Club Trust address mediapersons in Bhubaneswar on 23 April 2025.