After months of speculation, Hockey India’s long-serving CEO Elena Norman resigned on Tuesday, ending not just a 13-year-long association with the federation but also marking the end of an era in the administration of the sport.
Australian Elena took charge in 2011, soon after Hockey India was formally recognised as the sport’s governing body after years of administrative muddle and legal wrangling ever since the erstwhile Indian Hockey Federation was suspended. She became one of the first CEOs of Indian sports federations and was soon running the affairs of Hockey India.
As a confidante of then HI secretary general Narinder Batra – and through his rise to HI president, FIH president and IOA president – Elena was instrumental in making Hockey India among the best-run national sports federations in India, bringing in a professional work culture that was a far cry from the norm at that time. It resulted in a modern work culture in the teams, but her ruthless manner and demanding ways also led to a lot of grudges among many.
