"Environment Was Becoming Suffocating": Elena Norman, Outgoing Hockey India CEO

Outgoing Hockey India CEO Elena Norman on Tuesday said the work environment in HI was "suffocating" 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. The environment was becoming suffocating," 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. R K Srivastava and (Treasurer) Sekar J Manoharan," she said.

"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.

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