HI chief thanks Norman, hopeful of podium finish in Paris

She might have left under acrimonious circumstances, but 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 told the media in Rourkela.

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 to 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 came close on the heels of Indian women's hockey team coach Janneke Schopman's decision to quit. She also complained of a difficult work environment. The Dutch coach had accused HI of giving step-motherly treatment to women's hockey.

But Tirkey 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 really 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 fulfil in time, we are assessing," the former India captain said.

The HI chief said the federation's main focus right now is on preparing the men's team for a podium finish at the Paris Olympics.

"The men's team has already qualified, and we now are thinking of how they can perform better (in Paris)," Tirkey said.

"Side by side, the women's team is also on our mind. We are working on how to make better future plans for them."