The Scenario and The Challenges
Although you may not see crowds roaring over their goals or media invests all their prime time slots to cover their games, women in India are doing their every bit to make their presence felt over the male-centric sports world. In India, it is very saddening and unfortunate to see that women are not much encouraged to actively take part in different sports. You say the scarcity or sponsors or just the lack of right mentality, it is so difficult to pursue your dreams in sports when you are a woman.
In spite of such adversities, India has its Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Mary Kom, Dola Banerjee, Bechendri Pal, Bula Choudhury and such names. When the whole India rejoice over Argentina or Brazil for winning FIFA cup, the star daughters of this country quietly come back to their homeland, unwelcome, even after winning several gold medals in Olympics. Flashes and crowds with garlands do not wait for their arrival at the airport, ad companies do not get them signed for million dollar endorsement contracts, newspapers do not get flooded with their whereabouts and interviews. The limelight ignores them and their success beating down those thousand odds. Still they are there, fighting every single moment to make India proud in front of the whole world at international events like Asiad, Olympics etc. They adorn the victory stands without compromising their passion for the sports and love for the country unlike their over-hyped and famous male counterparts who are often found guilty of bating and spot-fixing.
Hence when it comes to women’s sports in India, you will be amazed to know how limited the choices are here. Let’s take a look at the few options our women have in this country –
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Chess
- Cricket
- Football
- Hockey
- Shooting
- Squash
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling & Boxing
The two most successful Indian women sports are cricket and team which have successfully managed to earn quite a reputation for themselves. The women’s cricket team has won 4 Asia Cup and one Twenty20 cup apart from being the tough runner-up in 2005’s World Cup. Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal are two other star tennis and badminton players who have become Indian youth icons for their unbelievable contribution and immense success in the sports at such young ages.
It is disappointing to see the contrast in men’s and women’s sports in India. When the popular men’s sports have almost reached the level of fanaticism, women’s sports have almost no existence in the minds of common people. Moreover, the real challenges which turn into tough hurdles for sportswomen in India are the lack of professional practicing area, coaches or trainers, equipments, and, most importantly, sponsors. Here are some Top Women Running Shoes in India. So even if a lot of girls show huge interest in sports during school and college days, finally give up finding no other option. Hence the potential resources are there, all they need is a good support from their country and its citizens.
by Durba
