Hockey coach Walsh withdraws resignation: Minister

Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted Wednesday that Indian hockey coach Terry Walsh has withdrawn his resignation after a meeting with the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

"I am happy that after SAI's efforts Terry Walsh is back. looking ahead for a bright future for hockey in India," Sonowal tweeted.

The 60-year-old hockey coach, who guided the Indian men's team to the Asian Games gold after 16 years, created big flutter when he tendered his resignation Tuesday, citing "difficulty in adjusting to the functioning of the country's bureaucratic system".

"I hereby tender my resignation as the chief coach of the Indian men’s hockey team as I am finding considerable difficulty adjusting to the decision-making style of the sporting bureaucracy in India which I believe, in the long term, is not in the best interests of Indian hockey or its players," Walsh wrote in a letter to SAI director general Jiji Thomson Tuesday.

Walsh also cited personal reasons as one of the causes for quitting the post.

"I am not willing to continue with the constant time away from my family in Australia. My current commitment places too much stress on my personal life," the 60-year-old said.

Walsh's decision triggered a blame-game with the SAI contending that Walsh was unhappy with the functioning of Hockey India (HI) rather than the nodal agency, leading to his quitting the post.

"He (Walsh) made a visit to our office and met Sudhir Setia, executive director (Teams) wherein he expressed his anguish regarding working in a suffocating atmosphere in the federation. We are totally unaware of what happened in HI," Thomson said in a statement Tuesday.