CHENNAI: Veteran Indian sports journalist S Thiagarajan, who made his mark with his extensive coverage of hockey, died here on Monday after battling age-related ailments. He was 85 years old. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. His last rites were performed in Chennai on Monday. Thiagarajan, who covered six Olympics and nine Asian Games, worked at ‘The Hindu’ newspaper from 1962 to 2013 before his retirement. He started his career with ‘The Indian Express’ in 1961. KC Vijay Kumar, sports editor of The Hindu, posted on ‘X’, “Veteran sports correspondent and hockey writing legend, S. Thiagarajan, who worked with The Hindu for several decades, passes away. Thiagarajan also served on the media and communications-related committees of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) during his journalism career. He was the former president of both the Sports Journalists Federation of India and the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists Association. Former India captain-cum-coach and 1980 Olympic gold medalist Vasudevan Baskaran was heartbroken as Thiagarajan, commonly known as “Thiagu”, covered his entire career and supported him throughout. “When I started hockey in 1969, he used to cover the game and covered collegiate hockey for The Hindu,” Bhaskaran told PTI. That’s basically how he came to prominence. His dedication, love and knowledge of the game was impeccable.” He said, “It is very sad for Indian sports because apart from hockey, he was also a great athletics correspondent. His contribution to Indian hockey was huge.” Senior journalist and hockey historian K Arumugam has no words on Thiagarajan’s demise. Arumugam said, “I have known him for more than 30 years. He was that rare, all-round journalist. He was an expert in all aspects, not just hockey. He was a storyteller.” “He was very well respected globally, his knowledge was very well recognised,” he said. Senior Indian sports journalist S Sabanayakan, former president of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI), who has worked with leading newspapers such as The Hindu and The Telegraph, described Thiagarajan’s death as an “irreparable loss” to the fraternity. He said, “The demise of S Thiagarajan is an irreparable loss to sports journalism. An expert in field hockey, Thyagu, as he is known, groomed many youngsters in the profession. A fluent writer, his writing style was sharp and unique.” “He was the President of the Sports Journalists Federation of India for one term of two years in 1996. He also led the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists Association for many years. He was also the Chairman of the Field Hockey Commission of AIPS from 1998 to 2006. “He covered 6 Olympics, nine Asian Games, nine Hockey World Cups and 20 Hockey Nationals in his illustrious career. In October 2024, he was honored by SJFI for his contribution to sports journalism,” it said. The Indian Sports Journalists Federation expressed condolences on the demise of Thiagarajan. President Saraju Chakraborty said that the demise of the pioneer of sports journalism is an irreparable loss for the fraternity.