The Indian women’s hockey team has made history today and we are legit having a Chak De moment here at POPxo headquarters. By beating Australia in the quarterfinals, the team sealed a coveted spot in the hockey semifinals for the very first time in Olympic history. This is a huge day for India and the women’s hockey team has just added to the streak of exceptional women wins this Olympic season. From Mirabai Chanu to P.V. Sindhu, Indian women athletes are claiming Olympics 2020 like never before. And as much as it calls for a celebration, it is also a lesson in how we need to change our attitude towards women athletes and sports in India. Here are some important reminders that these athletes have given us in the past 10 days:
Women Should Be Encouraged In Sports
A 2020 BBC study states that “nearly one and a half times more men (42%) play sports than women (29%)” in India. The study also highlights that athletics is seldom a choice that girl students get in schools in India. Basically, when in schools Indian boys get to choose from an array of sports, girls don’t have a lot of options. But guess what? Despite those challenges, they are still performing and winning. Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal, P.V. Sindhu’s bronze medal, and now, the Indian women’s hockey team’s historic win in the quarterfinals should serve as an eyeopener for India. It is high time we start supporting women’s sports in India.
It’s Time To Treat Hockey Like Our National Sport
India won its first Olympic gold medal in hockey back in 1928. The three decades following that are remembered as the golden period of Indian hockey and the era of Dhyanchand. Post that, we hit a major slump and India lost its dominance in International hockey. However, instead of fixing the problem, we found the perfect distraction in cricket. Suddenly, it became everything and our national sport started fading into oblivion. However, what is happening right now is amazing—it is an opportunity that we need to seize. Both Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams just qualified for the Olympic semifinals. Clearly, there’s a lot of potential for the sport and it is time we look beyond cricket and reap it. Yes, cricket is entertaining and fun but there’s certainly more to sports than cricket.
Women Are Not Weak!
You throw like a girl….women have no career in sports…oh but women cannot lift heavy weights—an infinite number of stereotypes exist when it comes to women in sports. However, the exceptional performance of our women athletes at the Tokyo Olympics has proved that none of these stereotypes hold any weight. Women can be good at sports. Hell, women can be good at anything that they are encouraged to pursue. And women are definitely not weak. Just for perspective—Chanu is 49 kgs and lifted 115 kgs to clinch her silver medal!
Here’s hoping our athletes continue to create history at Tokyo Olympics 2020!
Featured Image: Twitter
