Elena Norman, the long-serving CEO of Hockey India, resigned from her position on Tuesday after holding the position for nearly 13 years.
The Australian cited “unpaid dues and difficult working environment” for her decision, to Tribune India .
Norman’s resignation comes just days after the chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team Janneke Schopman put in her papers, while claiming that she was not valued and respected by the national federation.
Notrman’s resignation has been accepted but it is not clear when she would be relieved of her duties.
Accepting her resignation, Hockey India president and former India captain Dilip Tirkey, expressed his gratitude towards the Norman, stating, “I would like to express my gratitude for Elena’s time and dedication. Not only as the president of Hockey India but also as a former player and avid hockey enthusiast, I want to formally acknowledge and extend my sincere gratitude for her remarkable contributions over the last 12-13 years. Her dedication and efforts have played a pivotal role in propelling Hockey India and Indian hockey to the commendable position they hold today. I wish her great success in all her future endeavors.”
However, in a separate correspondence with HI board members, Tirkey did say that he did all he could do to persuade Norman to continue in the role.
“Despite my best efforts to persuade Elena to continue her invaluable contributions to our organisation, we cannot overlook the challenges she has faced, particularly issues surrounding unpaid dues and increasingly difficult working environment,” Tirkey said in his mail on Tuesday.
“The decision for her departure is truly disappointing, as I firmly believe that Hockey India is losing a seasoned professional who has played a pivotal role in the growth and elevation of the sport’s professionalism over the past 12 years. Her dedication and hard work have significantly contributed to the organisation’s achievements, and her departure is undoubtedly to the detriment of Hockey India,” he added.
During Norman’s time in the top job, the Indian men and women’s hockey teams soared to great heights, achieving career best world rankings as well as a historic feat in the Tokyo Olympic Games where the Indian Men clinched a Bronze medal, ending a 41-year-long medal drought, while the women finished at an unprecedented fourth position.
Under her leadership, the federation hosted two consecutive editions of FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018 and 2023, two FIH Junior Men’s World Cup in 2016 and 2021 and also successfully hosted five editions of the Hockey India League, a franchise-based league that catapulted the performance of Indian men’s hockey team with youngsters getting to rub shoulders with some of the most elite global hockey stars. Hockey India, in her tenure, hosted numerous international hockey events including the FIH Champions Trophy, FIH World League Finals in 2015 and 2017, FIH Olympic Qualifiers in 2019 and 2024 as well as the FIH Hockey Pro League home games.
Norman was also at the forefront of bringing Women’s hockey to limelight, providing them equal facilities as the men’s hockey team, including cash awards recognising standout performances in international events through the Hockey India Annual Awards.
She was particularly instrumental in the success of the women’s team that qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics, a historic feat as the team qualified for the first time and participated in the Olympics after 36 years.
The team also clinched successive Olympic berths in 2019 through the Olympic Qualifiers held in Bhubaneswar.
The CEO’s also spearheaded the launch of Hockey India Coaches Education Pathway, that equipped the domestic coaches with global standards of coaching practices along with various initiatives for the Indian Technical and Match Officials.
