Recognition of Female Athletes

Now is the time to take the corrective steps!

- Utkalika Priyadarshini

Nowadays, sports are getting more and more popular than Bollywood movies or any political gimmick. Lately but surely, sports are drawing a huge amount of attention in the country. Gone are the days, when children would be scolded because of playing any games. Instead, they are now encouraged to play not only by their parents but also by others also.

Earlier people used to say "khel kud ke kya kar loge, padhai karo wahi tumhe roti degi" (what will you do by playing, get to studies that will give you the bread) but now they say "padhai toh thik hai par khel kud mein v dhyan do" (studies are okay, but pay attention to sports also).

So, you see, everything is changing regarding sports. But the people's mindset has not changed about certain things and one of them is gender disparity. Otherwise, why it is that only the male sportspersons are getting more popularity or attention in the country as compared to their female counterparts?

We have always termed sports as a rough and tough event and we always think women are just as soft as cotton; they can't survive the dirt, sweat or the temperature. Somehow the thinking is getting replaced but the facilities provided to female players are less comparative to male players.

Why failure of male athletes is discussed more than the victory of female athletes? Many times, absence of female athletes goes unnoticed. We never discuss their comeback. For example, everyone is talking about Dinesh Karthik's outstanding form in the ongoing IPL, but only a few are talking about Dipika Pallikal's comeback after four long years, especially after giving birth to her child. As we can see women face unique challenges to participate in sports. These challenges may be personal, practical, economic, political, or sometimes cultural also.