Veteran Indian sports journalist S Thyagarajan, who carved a niche for himself with his extensive coverage of hockey, died in Chennai on Monday after battling age-related ailments. He was 85 years old. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. His cremation took place in Chennai on Monday. Thyagarajan, who covered six Olympics and nine Asian Games, served The Hindu from 1962 to 2013 before retiring. He started his career in 1961 with The Indian Express. KC Vijaya Kumar, sports editor of The Hindu, posted on “X”: “S. Thyagarajan, a veteran sports reporter and hockey writing doyen who worked with The Hindu for decades, has passed away.” During his journalism career, Thyagarajan has also served on media and communications-related committees of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF). He is a former president of the Sports Journalists Federation of India and the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists Association. Former India captain and coach and 1980 Olympic gold medalist Vasudevan Baskaran is heartbroken as Tyagarajan, popularly known as ‘Thyagu’, supported him throughout his career. “When I started in hockey in 1969, he was covering the sport and had covered college hockey for The Hindu. That’s basically what he became famous for. His dedication, love and knowledge of the game was impeccable,” Bhaskaran told PTI. “This is very sad for the Indian sports world because apart from hockey, he was a great sports journalist. His contribution to Indian hockey was immense,” he added. Veteran journalist and hockey historian K Arumugam has nothing to say on Thayagarajan’s death. “I’ve known him for over thirty years. He’s that rare all-around journalist. He’s a master of everything, not just hockey. He’s a storyteller,” Arumugam said. “He is widely respected around the world and his knowledge is widely recognized,” he said. S Sabanayakan, former president of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) and a veteran Indian sports journalist who has worked with reputed newspapers such as The Hindu and The Telegraph, called Thiagarajan’s death an “irreparable loss” to the fraternity. “S Thyagarajan’s death is an irreparable loss to the sports journalism industry. Thyagu was a well-known hockey expert and trained many youngsters in this profession. He was a fluent writer with a lively and unique writing style,” he said. “He served as the President of the Sports Journalists Federation of India in 1996 for a two-year term. He also served as the President of the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists Association for many years. He also served as the Chairman of the AIPS Hockey Committee from 1998 to 2006. “During his illustrious career, he covered 6 Olympic Games, 9 Asian Games, 9 Hockey World Cups and 20 Hockey National Teams. In October 2024, SJFI was honored for its contribution to sports journalism,” he added The Sports Journalists Federation of India expressed condolences on the death of Thiagarajan. President Saraju Chakraborty said the death of the doyenne of sports journalism was an irreparable loss to the fraternity.
