Hockey India: Statements by outgoing officials claiming divisions within the organisation are not correct

Hockey India on Wednesday issued a statement addressing Elena Norman and Janneke Schopman’s alleged statements to the media.

Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey. | Photo Credit: PTI

Hockey India on Wednesday issued a joint statement from its President, Dr Dilip Tirkey and Secretary General, Bhola Nath Singh, addressing Elena Norman and Janneke Schopman’s alleged statements to the media.

Norman, who held the post of CEO for nearly 13 years, in an interview with PTI alleged that there were two factions inside Hockey India. She further added that the work evnvironment became progressively challenging.

“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.

In response, Hockey India released a statement denying the claims. “Recently there have been statements by outgoing officials published in the media, claiming that there are divisions within the organisation. This is not correct. We remain united in working together, and as always in the best interest of the sport,” the statement said.

Janneke Schopman resigned as the head coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, a month after the team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Soon after, Hockey India’s long-serving CEO Elena Norman also resigned.

“The Federation has treated the teams and all players equally with equal benefits and training facilities, including cash awards and monetary recognition that is at-par and is purely based on performance. We have built our ethos around equity and equal opportunities right from the grassroots levels across states as well as on a national level,” the statement added.

Tirkey and Singh said their focus is now on rebuilding the women’s team, which failed to qualify for the Olympics, and helping the men’s side that is due to compete in the quadrennial showpiece in Paris this year.

“We will continue in this pursuit of excellence and rebuild the women’s team with a fresh approach to providing the right infrastructure and training to enhance their performance,” they stated.

“In addition to this, we are cognisant of this being an Olympic year and are dedicated to aide the National Men’s Team with the required support to stand on the podium yet again in the forthcoming Olympic Games in Paris this year.”

(With inputs from PTI)