‘Was tough to deliver’

Elena Norman

Outgoing Hockey India CEO Elena Norman on Tuesday said the work environment in HI was "difficult" and she had no choice but to call it quits.

After holding the position for 13 years, Norman resigned and even though HI did not reveal the specific reasons for her decision in its official statement, the Australian spoke out on what pushed her to exit.

"Absolutely, it was getting tough to deliver in the fight between two factions," Norman told PTI in an interview. "There are two factions in Hockey India. There is [President] Dilip Tirkey and I and there is [Secretary] Bholanath Singh, [Executive Director] Cdr RK Srivastava and [Treasurer] Sekar J Manoharan," she said.

HI President Dilip Tirkey and HI secretary Bholanath Singh

‘Dilip is a nice guy'

"There are guys who want power and then there is [HI President] Dilip [Tirkey], who is a nice guy, only after betterment of Indian hockey," the 49-year-old
explained.

What aggravated the entire situation was the non-payment of her remuneration for three months. "There were some issues [regarding my salary] and after much persuasion that got cleared last week," Norman said.

Also Read: Coach Janneke Schopman should bow out gracefully!

Second blow for Hockey India

Her resignation is the second blow to HI in the last few days after the Indian women's hockey team coach Janneke Schopman resigned, also complaining of a difficult work environment. Schopman said she was not being valued and appreciated by the governing body. Norman also made similar assertions and talked about the infighting within HI without dwelling on the issues that were causing the clash of ideas. She, however, praised Tirkey for his unwavering support.

Sources in HI said Tirkey has struggled to devote time to HI due to his political commitments with the Biju Janata Dal party in Odisha. He is expected to fight Lok Sabha elections later this year.

Norman, who moved to India in 2007 to work for a sports marketing firm before being appointed the federation's first CEO in 2011, said she has put her points across to the HI board and is now looking forward to a break.

‘I just want to unwind now'

"I have addressed my point to the board members. Dilip knows everything but I don't want to go into specifics. I feel it's my time to leave and I am excited about new opportunities. It's just time for myself now," she said. "I am going to take a holiday, I am going to go fishing, I am going to go for some trek, I am going to spend time with my family. I have been here for a long time so I just want to unwind now," she added enthusiastically.

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