We will appoint a CEO in due time: Tirkey | Hockey

New Delhi: Following a stint of 13 long years, Hockey India (HI) chief executive officer (CEO) Elena Norman had resigned in February following a fallout with the current management in place at the National Sports Federation (NSF).

It has been eight months since but there has been no sign of HI appointing a new CEO. While earlier it was learnt that there will no appointment of a new CEO as Norman’s duties have been divided by the top brass at HI, this paper was told there is a plan of hiring a new CEO in the time to come.

“We will appoint a new CEO. It is in our plans. We have been preoccupied about the organisation of the Hockey India League (HIL) during this period which is why it couldn’t happen,” said HI president Dilip Tirkey.

“But it is in our plans. We will appoint someone in due time, but it is going to happen post the HIL. It took us two years to revive HIL so that it doesn’t face the same fate of the erstwhile league.”

The HIL was relaunched here on Friday amidst much fanfare after the original franchise-based tournament folded in 2017 after holding five editions. Relaunching HIL has been the on top of the agenda ever since the Tirkey-led committee were elected in 2022.

“Yes we will appoint someone soon, but nothing has been decided yet. But that person will be an Indian for sure. We will advertise for the position,” said HI secretary general Bhola Nath Singh.

Norman, an Australian, was hired as CEO in 2011 under Narinder Batra, who was then the secretary general of HI. She had a smooth run under Batra, who was HI president from 2014-16 after which he became the international hockey federation (FIH) president in 2016 and also the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president in 2017.

Batra’s resignation from FIH, IOA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2022 led to HI elections where Tirkey and Singh were elected. While Norman had the support of Tirkey, it wasn’t the same from other sections of HI.