Hockey
'Elena Norman did a commendable job'- Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey
Despite former Hockey India CEO Elena Norman leaving in an uncomfortable situation, President Dilip Tirkey applauded her work.
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey (Source: Hockey India)
Former Hockey India Chief Executive Officer Elena Norman resigned two days back after a 13-year-long stint.
Despite her leaving in an uncomfortable circumstance, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey on Thursday praised outgoing CEO Elena Norman, saying that he appreciates the Australian's contribution towards the growth of the sport.
The former captain, however, rejected Norman's claim of factionalism in HI, saying all is well within the federation.
"Since taking over, we have done good work and I appreciate it. We have seen the performance of the teams in the past two years. Our CEO has done commendable work for Indian hockey. We appreciate her efforts and contribution," Tirkey said in a media interaction.
Tirkey's comments came a day after he and Singh issued a joint statement denying Norman's assertion of a rift between them.
Norman resigned on Tuesday and in an interview with PTI she alleged that there was factionalism in the body. The 49-year-old Australian suggested that Tirkey and Singh were at loggerheads and also complained of a difficult work environment.
"There are two factions in Hockey India. There is (President) Dilip Tirkey and I and there is (Secretary) Bholanath Singh, (Executive Director) Cdr. R K Srivastava and (Treasurer) Sekar J Manoharan," she had said.
Norman's resignation comes just after the resignation of women's hockey team coach Janneke Schopman, who also alleged the difficult work environment behind her reason to quit.
But Turkey lauded Schopman's contribution and vowed to provide all possible help to the women's team to make a fresh start.
"The women's team did well in 2023. The girls have done well. They won the 2023 FIH Nations Cup. Their performance has been good in the Asian Champions Trophy and Asian Games as well. They played well in the Olympic Qualifier too but it was purely bad luck. But I have been making a note where we made mistakes, and what demands we couldn't fulfill in time, we are assessing," the former India captain said.
