S. Thyagarajan, veteran sports journalist, passes away

S. Thyagarajan, 85, veteran sports activities correspondent, who labored with The Hindu for greater than 5 many years, handed away right here on Monday (March 23, 2026). A multi-sport author, who finally specialised in protecting hockey, Thyagarajan, ‘Thyagu Sir’ for a lot of, was the backbone that held The Hindu’s sports activities division collectively for a few years.

He joined the organisation on June 6, 1962, rose by way of the ranks, and retired because the Deputy Sports activities Editor on December 21, 2013, For a further yr, he additionally labored as a advisor with The Hindu Group. By his profession, he wrote extensively in The Hindu and Sportstar.

Recognized for an alliterative model, Thyagarajan weighed his phrases and reported sport, starting from the hyper-local to the Olympics, with accuracy. He was a daily presence in most press bins throughout the globe and at all times prepared with a fast repartee.

Having reported on a number of Olympics and Asian Video games, he additionally lined nearly all hockey matches that concerned India for many years. His evaluation had depth, and his criticism was at all times linked to the game and the way in which it was performed, and by no means received private. Proper from the junior athlete to a champion like Dhanraj Pillay, from a neighborhood membership official to senior sports activities directors, Thyagarajan’s connections spanned a variety and in all these circles, he was held in excessive regard.

Even after retirement, he saved a watch on The Hindu’s sports activities pages. If he favored a characteristic or report, he would textual content a heat message. And if there was a brand new byline, he can be curious to know concerning the author. Accessible and a fount of innumerable anecdotes, he would typically delve into the previous and recount tales with gusto.

Thyagarajan is survived by his spouse and two daughters. The Sports activities Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) and the Tamil Nadu Sports activities Journalists Affiliation (TNSJA) condoled his demise.