Women’s Hockey in India: Breaking Barriers and Winning Hearts

7 min read
May 06, 2025
Political Commentary Shapes Public Opinion

Indian lady athletes aren't simply shattering patriarchy however have also fought towards all odds to bring repute to their united states of america In a country, predominantly prevalent with discrimination meted out in the direction of the woman gender, sports have blurred the strains in such a way that now even political magnificence need a ‘selfie’ with these girl athletes.

Indian lady athletes aren't just shattering patriarchy but have also fought in opposition to all odds to deliver fame to their united states of america. In a country, predominantly conventional with discrimination meted out closer to the female gender.

The sports have blurred the traces in any such manner that now even political magnificence need a ‘selfie’ with these female athletes for you to win hearts of preferred public. But even now round the sector, especially in India there are robust ideals that a number of the sports, like boxing, wrestling and weightlifting, can tamper with the splendor and “natural femininity” of the women athletes.

This is any other trouble that girls bravehearts like MC Mary Kom or Karnam Malleswari or Phogats (Geeta and Babita) have all stimulated our younger generations to now not just take up but excel in these tough disciplines.

Women’s Hockey in India: Breaking Barriers and Winning Hearts

Womens Hockey in India

And study how the state of affairs has changed over time. From a lone potential medal winner in 1984, PT Usha, who ignored a podium finish by way of 0.01 seconds in 400m hurdles in the Los Angeles Games, India has a listing of such a lot of girls athletes who have provided a few relief to a medal-starved usa in the last Games.

From Manipuri weightlifter Mirabai Chanu’s silver to Assam boxer Lovlina Borgohain’s certain bronze (semi-final nevertheless to be fought) to PV Sindhu’s bronze, India’s final 5 Olympic medals — consisting of Sindhu’s silver and wrestler Sakshi Malik’s bronze at Rio 2016 — have all come from their girls.

Tough, but a Measured Adventure

The revolution in ladies’s sports activities has include the emergence of North-eastern girls in the sports activities. And 38-year-antique Manipuri boxing icon, Mary Kom, has a lot to do with this.

Even earlier than triumphing the bronze medal at 2012 London, Mary Kom become a family name in India with her five World Boxing Championship gold medals. And the end result is in front of us with Lovlina now stepping out of her village Baramukhia, close to Assam’s border with Nagaland, into the sector of reputation.

But it turned into in no way an clean journey for her. It was in 2012, as a 14-12 months-old school youngster, whilst she first stepped out of her village to educate at Sports Authority of India’s centre in Guwahati.

She only had a cell telephone with her to live in contact together with her parents and other sisters at a much off (nearly three hundred kilometres) region.

Her biggest check came when she went to take part in the sub-junior nationals in Kolkata. She had no “pink-coloured apparel” to wear at some stage in her bout to combat towards the Blue-cornered girl. So, her instruct waited for another girl within the Red-corner to finish her fight and borrow it for Lovlina.

But the female agreed to component along with her Red-nook kit with a circumstance that Lovlina will deliver her this mobile in go back.Being a child, Lovlina knew that her cell changed into her lone connection together with her circle of relatives.

She agreed that it became the handiest manner to live in contact along with her own family. Borgohain took the tough selection and agreed to element along with her mobile. But even then, she did no longer get the promised kit.

This incident, as in line with Lovlina, left a big mark on her adventure to this point. Even before leaving for Tokyo, Lovlina turned into worried approximately her mother who had gone through kidney transplant surgical procedure in February.

But that didn’t divert her attention faraway from her Olympic goal. Lovlina is completely exclusive from Mary Kom. The way she movements within the ring is enough to prove that. She is technically more properly-rounded. Though, she can’t be in comparison with Mary Kom as she belongs to the subsequent-to-subsequent technology to her, but in fact, they're team-associates too.

Mary Kom became a champion but an unpolished boxer on the age of 23 due to the fact then the boxing became amateurish. Lovlina is subtle and greater technically sound no matter whether she will move into the gold medal round or now not.

Lovlina idolises the great Muhammad Ali and watches his bouts earlier than and at some point of her competitions. The name of her educate is Mohammad Ali Qamar. She loves a line always stated for Ali… ‘floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee’

And now that she has grow to be only the 0.33 boxer from India to win an Olympic medal, after Vijender Singh’s 2008 Beijing bronze and her idol Mary Kom’s 2012 London bronze, she is virtually going to be India’s next poster woman with her killer smile.

Chak de Second for Hockey Ladies

Look at this scenario in our country wide sport, hockey. Ever since the 1980 Moscow Games, where Indian men gained their remaining gold medal, or for that rely in which our guys reached the medal spherical for the last time.

Chak de Second for Hockey Ladies

Indian sports activities loopy public have usually prayed with folded arms for a medal in the next nine Olympic Games. India, as a rustic, spent tons of money on guys’s hockey arrangements. And all this whilst all of us ignored women’s hockey players, who also completed in the top 4 teams in Moscow wherein the finalists had been decided on the final results of round-robin league.

And right here we are with a bunch of decided wome hockey players gambling within the semi-very last for the primary time in history. All of them are by and large coming from a completely humble heritage and from a circle of relatives wherein they had been no longer allowed to exit carrying modern dresses, forget shorts.

And while one among them, Vandana Katariya, become pointing her finger to the sky after scoring a hat-trick towards South Africa in a close four-3 victory to reach zone-finals, changed into nothing but telling her father up there in the heavens about how plenty she misses him around her.

Vandana could not even attend her father’s last rites at some stage in tough Covid instances as she become education for the Olympics. Her father fought such a lot of circle of relatives and social battles for her hockey. Everyone around those girls till now wanted them to get married, and didn’t assume to carry home the gold from the Olympic Games.

Such become the sacrifices via these kinds of woman athletes that our complete sports activities federations now want to rethink their mind-set or spending towards these courageous-coronary heart champions.

They deserve no less exposure trips, just like their male opposite numbers, or no less investment and facilities from now onwards. No one should have any doubts about their dedication in the field. This they have proved already.

Amongst the ones who've now rewritten Indian ladies’s hockey history, seven had been examined Covid fantastic throughout the second wave whilst schooling at Bengaluru’s Sports Authority of India centre. And who is aware of if the Govt of India can also roll out a new slogan before the subsequent 2024 Games in Paris to salute our ladies energy… “Beti Khilao, Medal Jitao”!

Comparing Pro Kabaddi and Local Tournaments  Whats the Difference?

Comparing Pro Kabaddi and Local Tournaments Whats the Difference?

Kabaddi · May 07, 2025
The Comeback of Traditional Sports in India: Focus on Kabaddi

The Comeback of Traditional Sports in India: Focus on Kabaddi

Kabaddi · May 07, 2025
Kabaddi: From Rural Roots to National Fame

Kabaddi: From Rural Roots to National Fame

Kabaddi · May 07, 2025
Paris 2024: Incredible Indian athletes make their mark in Paris

Paris 2024: Incredible Indian athletes make their mark in Paris

Olympics · May 07, 2025