Women deserve spotlight & sponsors

Rajwinder Kaur, an Inspector in the Punjab Police, stunned both her colleagues and critics by winning a gold medal at the prestigious World Police Games held in Alabama, USA, last week. Her achievement is all the more significant considering that just a year ago, she had undergone knee surgery. She had almost given up. At 40, she was in the athletic twilight of her career.

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She battled age and criticism, torn between hope and decline. She resembled an engine whose bolts and bearings had started falling off. But then, you are a product of your thoughts. She was down, not out.

The true measure of success is how many times you can bounce back from failure. Against all odds, she did the incredible. Rajwinder began training in earnest at the PAP Complex in Jalandhar under the guidance of her husband and coach, Kuljinder Singh. This hard work eventually culminated in a gold medal.

She spoke to Tribune correspondent Ravi Dhaliwal about the role of women in modern sport: Ever since I won my first medal in school, I’ve been in love with judo. This sport has given me countless opportunities to travel across the globe, meet people from different cultures and gather specks of knowledge here and there.

Believe it or not, women continue to encounter intimidating obstacles. These include biased media coverage, disparities in grants and significantly lower remuneration compared to our male counterparts. The genesis of the malady lies in the lack of operational and executive roles for women in state and national sports associations and federations. Representation may exist, but decision-making power rarely does.

PT Usha made history as the chief of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), running unopposed and enjoying unbridled powers. But the tragedy is we do not have many Ushas. She is an exception. It is another matter that she is involved in a controversy after claiming that the sports ministry was interfering in the affairs of the national federations.

I have also found, after playing at different places, that women face a significant lack of funding as compared to men, making it difficult for them to compete.

We face sexist remarks, are judged by our clothing and constantly monitored in the public eye. Additionally, women’s sports are still often underrepresented in the media, making it harder for female athletes to gain the recognition they deserve. Without visibility, sponsorship opportunities remain out of reach.

Sometimes, even promises are not kept. For example, I won a bronze medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. As per the Punjab Police policy, I should have been promoted. Yet, I was overlooked, while others were promoted following a pick-and-choose policy. Such issues need to be addressed with transparency.

Women’s participation in sports can inspire young girls to pursue athletics as a career. In Manipur, a sporting powerhouse, and other north-eastern states, hundreds of girls have taken up sports after after watching on TV the exploits of MC Mary Kom, a six-time world boxing champion; Mirabai Chanu, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist; Sonia Chanu, London Olympics weightlifter; and Dipa Karmakar, a renowned gymnast. It all depends upon the sports culture a state has.

Give women a chance and we will lead the way to gender equality through a multifaceted approach and a shift in societal attitudes. The success of every woman should be an inspiration to another. We must lift each other up. One thing I always tell my female colleagues is that success is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the process and never stop learning.