Sexual harassment must end in sports
The harrowing tales of multiple survivors of the horrific sexual harassment cases in the US gymnastics team is still lingering in our minds. Highly-decorated Olympians including Simone Biles were not spared. There were cover-ups for years, ignoring complaints and giving precedence to medals over moral values. The details revealed during the many hearings show how deep the rot went. Some were minors too. It turned out to be the biggest sexual abuse scandal in sports history.
Back in our country, June was a horrifying month for Indian sports. It touched its nadir when athletes came out and spoke about harassment both sexual and mental, and lodged complaints officially. A cyclist in the national team left a training camp in Slovenia because of “inappropriate behaviour” by the national coach. She was the only woman in the team and shockingly, no woman coach accompanied the team. The Sports Authority of India sacked him. This is not the first time such cases have come to light. There were more than 40 recorded cases with SAI involving mostly coaches. There were also occasions when athletes changed their statements or withdrew complaints. Some, fearing ostracism and ruined careers, prefer to keep mum. Sometimes, authorities were lenient.
Perhaps, it’s time SAI and the National Sports Federation wake up and take a collective decision to limit such acts. The SAI has said that a woman coach must accompany female athletes in camps at home and abroad. But it’s not enough. Crushing beliefs and trust that take years to build can scar the players mentally and physically—the enduring image of horror and resultant trauma would haunt them until death. Sacking them is not enough. Exemplary punishment should act as a deterrent. The next time a coach thinks about touching an athlete inappropriately, he should tremble at the thought. The horror that US gymnastics endured should never be repeated here.