FULL NAME: Ignace Tirkey
GENDER: Male
BORN: 10th May, 1981 (Source: International Hockey Federation)
FAMILY: Father (Walter Tirkey), mother (), wife (Masira Surin), only daughter (Mansi)
HOME ADDRESS: Lulkidihi village, Sundargarh district, Odisha, India.
ACADEMIC EDUCATION: Studied at Birsa Munda High School, Panposh, Rourkela.
TYPE OF PLAYER: Midfielder and defender
OCCUPATION: Serving as Junior Commissioned Officer Madras Engineering Group, Bangalore. He joined MEG as hawaldar (soldier) in 1998. At present working at Bihar Regiment in Patna.
FORMATIVE YEARS: Spent four years (1993-97) at the Panposh Sports Hostel in Rourkela.
COACHING: Received coaching from Sylvester Toppo, Kalu Charan Choudhury and Amulyananda Bihari at Panposh Sports Hostel.
INTERNATIONAL CAPS: 295
CAREER SPAN: 2001 to 2012
HOBBIES: Music and dance

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:

NATIONAL:
*     To be compiled.

INTERNATIONAL:
*     Played 6 matches for Indian men hockey team in the 2012 London Olympics Games, where the team finished 12th and last.
*     Played 7 matches for Indian men hockey team in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, where the team finished 7th.
World Cup: Feb/Mar 2002 - Kuala Lumpur (10th).
Champions Trophy: Dec 2004 - Lahore (4th), Aug 2003 - Amstelveen (4th), Aug/Sep 2002 - Cologne (4th).
Asian Games: Sep/Oct 2002 - Busan (2nd).
Asia Cup: Sep 2003 at Kuala Lumpur (1st). Scored the game-winning goal in the final against Pakistan. Adjudged Player of the Final.
Afro-Asian Games: Oct 2003 - Hyderabad (1st).
Indo-Pak Series: Sep/Oct 2004 (Lost 2-4), scored 2 goals.
Champions Challenge Tourney: Dec 2001 - Kuala Lumpur (1st).
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Jan 2004 - Kuala Lumpur (Last), Aug 2001 - Kuala Lumpur (5th).
Junior World Cup: Oct 2001 - Hobart (1st).
Asian Tour: May 2004 - Gifu (Japan) - 4-Nation Tournament (2nd), Captain.
African Tour: Feb/Mar 2001 - Cairo - Akbar el Yom Tourney (1st).
Australian Tour: Apr 2004 - Sydney - 4-Nation Tournament (Last), Apr 2004 - Canberra - 4-Nation Tournament (2nd), Jun 2003 - Sydney - 3-Nation Tournament (1st), 1 goal, May/Jun 2003 - Perth - 3-Nation Tournament (2nd), Jun 2002 - Melbourne - 4-Nation Tournament (2nd), May/Jun 2002 - Adelaide - 4-Nation Tournament (2nd).
European Tour: Aug 2004 - Leverkusen - 3-Test Series vs. Ireland (Won 2-1), Jul 2004 - Dusseldorf - 4-Nation Tournament (2nd), Jun/Jul 2004 - Amstelveen - 4-Nation Tournament (Last), Mar 2004 - Madrid - Olympic Qualifier (4th), 1 Goal, Jun 2003 - Hamburg - 4-Nation Panasonic Masters (1st), Aug 2002 - Amstelveen - Rabobank 4-Nation Tournament (Last).
Test series at home: Nov 2004 - Chandigadh - 2-Test Series vs Spain (Tied 1-1), 1 Goal.

AWARDS:
*     Received Services Sportsman of the Year Award in 2004.
*     Received the Ekalavya Award as Outstanding Sportsperson of Odisha in 2003.
*     Received Arjuna Award from President Prativa Devisingh Patil on August 29, 2009.
*     Received Padma Shri Award from President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on 31 March, 2010.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
*     Made international debut at the Akbar el Yom Tournament in Cairo against Belgium in February 2001 .
*     He was the captain of the Services men hockey team that won gold medal in the 35th National Games, held in Kerala from February 1 to 14, 2015.
*     Represented Services in the Junior and Senior Nationals.
*     Played a pivotal role in India winning four out of six titles in 2003.
*     Scored a thrilling match-winner against Pakistan in the 2003 Asia Cup final.
*     Led India in the 2006 Pakistan Test Series and 2006 Commonwealth Games (Melbourne).
*     Led Chennai Veerans in the 2005 PHL. Now a days plays for the Orissa Steelers.
*     Married Jharkhand hockey international Masira Surin on 29th December, 2008.
*     His wife Masira is working at Indian Railways.
*     His younger brother Prabodh Tirkey is also a hockey international and led the Indian men team.

PROFILE FIRST UPLOADED: 12 January, 2009
PROFILE LAST UPDATED: 13 July, 2021