NEW DELHI: In a novel initiative, Sports Authority of India (SAI) held a special online class for the female athletes currently in SAI Bengaluru titled “Encouraging and supporting female athletes” with a special focus on the different phases of menstrual cycle and how to take care of their body during that time and optimise training.
The 40-minute programme was conducted by Dr Poornima Raman Ngomdir, a sports physiotherapist and the Head of Sports Sciences at Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ). The doctor, while praising SAI’s initiative, also said that being comfortable with the subject will take time. “The athletes were attentive and quite a few asked questions. A few were more comfortable seeking answers in private. Awareness has risen but there is still a long way to go.”
Around 20 athletes took part on Tuesday with the women’s hockey team in attendance. Wednesday will see the same session conducted for the female athletes in SAI, Patiala. The doctor’s main advice to the athletes was to help themselves by understanding their own body and tracking their menstrual cycle with the help of mobile apps, which in turn would help them optimise training. Poornima knows that the subject matter is a taboo in India but she suggested that in team sports, a positive environment can go a long way in encouraging the athletes.
“In a sport like hockey for instance, a positive environment helps build trust among players. That can embolden players to open up and help each other out. I gave them the example of the England women’s hockey team and how they track their menstrual cycle and the benefits they have got from it.”
Nearly 100 female athletes and support staff are expected for these two sessions. Special care has been taken to ensure no male members are present during these meetings.
Sandip Pradhan, SAI director-general, is hopeful that this initiative will help athletes go next level. “We want our female athletes to use their physiology to their advantage by planning their training sessions in keeping with their body clock. I’m sure this awareness will help them in the future,” he said.
Module for coaches
SAI will begin a daily online coach-education programme from Thursday. The module will be conducted via Zoom. The one-hour sessions will be held across all Olympic sports and will have two parts: game-specific knowledge and sports science.