Women’s Day is an opportunity to look beyond tokenism and assess how far Indian sport has come in the effort to make it a truly level playing field. This year, ESPN India takes a deep dive into what a year it was for the Indian sportswoman; both the ups and downs, what are the big challenges they face and what else is needed.
Last year at this time, we were seeing the huge difference in opportunities between the Indian men’s and women’s team sports. With the Women’s Premier League and the new AIFF roadmap, there are already winds of change in this direction.
But there is a parallel narrative running through it; the increase in reported cases of injustice and discrimination against women in sport.
Just look at the gender-coded hurdles that Indian sportswomen had to overcome this year. Several cases of sexual exploitation by men came to light, some of them high profile, but little or no action was taken. To top off this widespread system apathy was ruthless online trolling by fans, as well as insensitive and invasive questions from the media.
Here’s a glimpse of the kind of non-sports challenges Indian athletes have had to face in the past year. Take a look and take a minute to think: Would a male player have to go through this?
May 2022
A 19-year-old national level runner filed a sexual harassment complaint against P Nagarajan, a well-known athletics coach in Chennai. She alleged that he inappropriately touched the athletes under the guise of helping them with physical therapy and stretching. Two months after the first complaint, seven more athletes, including some who have represented India, made similar complaints. Nagarajan was arrested and faces charges under the IPC and POCSO Act.
Gymnast Aruna Budda Reddy alleged that her coach Rohit Jaiswal had filmed her without her consent during the trials in March 2022. However, the Gymnastics Federation of India did not sanction Jaiswal, prompting the Indian Sports Authority to form a three-member panel and launch a probe. Despite this, Jaiswal was appointed manager in the Indian Commonwealth Games contingent, before being replaced at the last minute.
Nikhat Zareen had just returned home after becoming a world champion and one of the questions she was asked was what she thought about Muslim women wearing hijabs in the context of the protests in Karnataka over the hijab ban. Nikhat took it in stride, saying it was a personal choice. But as cricket legend Mithali Raj once said, would anyone ask that of a male player?
June 2022
Alex Ambrose, the assistant coach of the India women’s under-17 soccer team, has been suspended and sent back from a training camp in Norway for sexual misconduct. Ambrose, who was also the head of scouting for the Indian Football Federation, denied the charges and served the federation with a legal notice. All this while India was preparing to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. A case was filed under the POSCO Act and a Delhi court recently issued an arrest warrant for him, but the Indian federation has only remained silent on the matter.
A cyclist has accused the national team’s head coach, RK Sharma, of sexually inappropriate behavior during a training and competition trip to Slovenia. Days after the initial complaint, three more cyclists alleged that Sharma had harassed and threatened them for years. The Sports Authority of India terminated Sharma’s contract and launched an investigation.
August 2022
When India was sanctioned by FIFA, the biggest losers were the Gokulam Kerala FC women’s team. The Indian Women’s League champions and India’s undisputed best women’s club had traveled 1,500 km to Uzbekistan to compete in the AFC Women’s Club Championship tournament… but they couldn’t even compete. What’s worse is that they were left alone without proper communication from the AIFF.
We’re ready to take it all on for these girls, no matter what gets in the way.
We request the clubs in India to come together to do the best we can for these players. @KeralaBlasters @ChennaiyinFC @HydFCOfficial @OdishaFC pic.twitter.com/28RQnqYkOb
-Gokulam Kerala FC (@GokulamKeralaFC) August 17, 2022
September 2022
Vinesh Phogat, was heavily criticized online after losing in the first round of the World Championship Wrestling. Vinesh had won gold at the Commonwealth Games in the build-up to the Worlds, but fell to an early defeat. She ended up winning bronze via repechage, but still she was attacked online and told to withdraw. This just one year after she spoke out about mental health issues after the Olympics.
November 2022
Indian cricketer Yastika Bhatia guided the West Zone to a victory over the South Zone in the Senior Women’s T20 Inter Zonal Trophy. Within six minutes of posting a tweet appreciating her team, a comment appeared ““Are bhen..mat khel T20 (Sister, don’t play T20s).” Yastika shooed the troll away with a sharp reply:
A ky teri tarah ghar beth k comment pass kru?��
– Yastika Bhatia (@YastikaBhatia) November 14, 2022
January 2023
India’s top wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Kumar Dahiya protested in New Delhi claiming that the head of the Indian Wrestling Federation, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was sexually harassing female wrestlers, along with various other charges.
After three days of protests and little redress, the Ministry of Sports finally met with them after midnight to end the dharna and then formed a monitoring committee, which would investigate the charges and present its findings within four weeks. The committee now has an extension and is due to report on March 9.
February 2023
Shafali Verma led India’s women’s under-19 team to the World Cup title in January and was one of the top picks in the Women’s Premier League’s Rs 2 crore auction. A reporter asked the teen if she felt she deserved the amount she received.
Earlier in the T20 Women’s World Cup, Shafali had some colorful words to celebrate after she netted a catch in the semi-final against Australia, after missing one earlier. This also went under the scanner as people couldn’t stomach the fact that a female athlete had shown aggression.
Indian tennis icon Sania Mirza was ridiculed after she was named as Royal Challenger Bangalore in the WPL. Comments ranged from “she doesn’t know anything about cricket” to “I’ll never watch the WPL because of her.” connection to pakistan.”
March 2023
In India, the female partners of male gamers are also targeted by online trolls, for something they’re not even a part of. In recent weeks, Indian cricketer KL Rahul’s wife Athiya Shetty has been blamed for the poor form of the partner her and Sunil Chhetri’s wife face vile abuse after his controversial goal for Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters left.
