One step ahead, two backwards: Indian female athletes discuss 'challenges' and 'achievements' in age of #MeToo

Dipa Karmakar won millions of hearts when she finished fourth in Gymnastics at the Rio Olympics in 2016. But her journey, like most female athletes in India, was not a bed of roses. 

At the book launch of "Dipa Karmakar – A Small Wonder", the young star was joined by other female icons of various sports where they discussed their own journeys and the road ahead.

Joining Dipa in the panel discussion were ace badminton player, Olympian and Arjuna Awardee Aparna Popat, Asian Games silver medalist tennis player Manisha Malhotra and World Record holder shooter and performance director of the Indian shooting team, Suma Shirur. 

The women talked about the challenges they have faced during their career and how they overcame them.

Talking about her share of bias faced in the sporting field, Dipa recalled how she was called a Bangladeshi because she belongs from Tripura or how once a fellow gymnast and his coach called her a bhains (water buffalo). 

Women need to speak up

The world was rocked when a huge sex abuse scandal in USA Gymnastics came to light. It involved the sexual abuse of female athletes—primarily minors—over the past two decades, in which over 368 individuals have been sexually assaulted "by gym owners, coaches, and staff working for gymnastics programs across the country".

Apart from the horrors of such abuse, one of most terrifying things was how long it took someone to raise their voice against it and to be taken seriously. 

So does voicing your opinion help change the situation?

“Yes, there will be a change. Women should have a voice and not be afraid,” said Suma.

Manisha also agreed, saying, “If you see the statistics, girls as small as 10-14 years old are often abused. Not just that, I have seen young girls being groomed into having affairs with their coaches. There is a serious need for change."

“An empowered woman is the solution to the society. The times have changed and girls are not scared to express themselves anymore."

Why no #MeToo in Indian sports

But why is it that no woman athlete has come forward during the #MeToo movement?

"It’s because sports as a career in itself is risky. It’s a short-lived career option. No one wants to shorten it more by speaking out,” Aparna said.

“Muhammad Ali had said that it isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe, but for women – it is both the mountain ahead and the pebble in the shoe that gets us down” she added.

So is there no change in the sporting scenario in India?

“There is a change. In Badminton, Saina (Nehwal) and Sindhu (PV) are doing well. Not to forget Ashwini (Ponnappa) and Jwala (Gutta) who became the first Indian doubles pair to ever win a world championship medal. So things are changing but people still believe that women playing sports is something extraordinary and something we cannot do."

Suma also made a point, “There has to be more women representation in the federation. Girls should never give up on their passion. Even in today’s generation when an army chief (General Bipin Rawat) can talk about women as not being fit for combat roles, what can you expect. It’s really disgusting."

So what changes can be made?

“In general, it has taken a generation to change the mindset and we are changing, we just need more female athletes to become each other’s voice and support each other,” Suma concluded.