Four well-known and hugely accomplished women athletes were also part of the announcement blitz.
Representative Image
A corporate house announced a partnership with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to promote athletics, especially for women. The corporate is going to pump in money to the AFI, which will use the funds to aid its talent scouting scheme, especially for girls, and give opportunities and avenues to deserving young women.
ADVERTISEMENT
The announcement was made at a widely reported conference recently. The mood was upbeat and there were plenty of positive predictions for the future and the path ahead for India as a sporting nation. Four well-known and hugely accomplished women athletes were also part of the announcement blitz.
While it is time to be bullish about Indian sport and eye international podiums, it is also time to see that women have equal access to all sporting facilities. They have agency when it comes to choosing their future path. Those facilities can be something as basic as a space to play as children. On public holidays, one usually sees little boys play cricket on the road or a maidan, while you never see little girls do so.
It means families tell their daughters to go out and pursue sport, if there is talent and they wish to. This also means women feel safe alone at times in swimming pools, on maidans, in open spaces and even areas like a gymnasium. This means they are not constantly looking over their shoulder going home after practice in late evenings or as darkness falls. This is the first step to creating an ecosystem that brings women into sports.
The basics, or grassroots as we say, begin from creating an atmosphere not on the field but inside minds and just outside homes that give girls the freedom and avenue to play. That is called equality and the long march to the podium has its genesis here.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
