HYDERABAD: Here’s a question to ponder on: apart from the occasional bursts of pride when the State’s very own PV Sindhu or Syeda Falak win tournaments in their respective sports, how supportive are we as a State of young sportswomen making their mark on the world?
One of the pertinent issues that sportswomen in the State have consistently pointed out is the lack of matches and tournaments that would give them exposure in their field. It seems the State has not given them adequate opportunities to challenge themselves.
While arenas like Pink October Sports Tournament have given them platforms to fight it out with women having different levels of expertise in their respective sports, these young achievers say that there is a serious dearth of league matches and tournaments for women in Hyderabad.
“If we meet the same old faces in tournaments we miss out on the exposure. We won’t learn to tackle their tactics and won’t have enough room to change and improve our game,” said 18-year-old Sudheshna Reddy, a professional basketball player from St Francis College who represented the State at the national level.
Meanwhile, K Vishal Kumar, a retired basketball player and coach of the South Central Railways team said, “Only a very few prominent colleges encourage sports by means of reservations. The system does not encourage women to take up a career in sports,” he said.
Roja B, a 19-year-old football player who has represented the State nationally said, “Boys get to hone their skills at tournaments every week. We don’t even get to play for leagues because that culture does not exist here.”