Imlisanen Jamir
Active measures to empower and develop sportspersons in Nagaland have always been lacking in Nagaland. Even as incremental improvements are being made, the plight of the state’s women in sports is more challenging.
The national seminar on ‘Women in Sports’ held on October 29 witnessed personal experiences from women in sports, and the challenges that prevent them from choosing sports as a career. During the event, the various speakers laid out how preconceived notions of gender roles, lack of proper coaching expertise and lack of incentives, among others have prevented women of the State from looking at sports as a viable option.
It may seem ironic, given that one of the only two Olympians from the State is a woman archer. Still though, women find it hard to make it in sports, in stark contrast to our neighbors.
H Shangki Konyak, a football coach from the Get them go Sports Academy, while speaking during the seminar recalled how the biggest challenge for her to pursue her passion for football was gaining approval from her parents.
Even for boys and men, it is hard to convince parents to allow them to pursue sports seriously, because of the lack of opportunities. This is compounded by how conservative our society can be when it comes to gender appropriate behavior and its related expectations.
Konyak further listed out how financial constraints, lack of government incentives for sportspersons, lack of grassroots development etc hamper people from getting into sports seriously. But these challenges are manifold when it comes to young girls.
While there has been some progress made in terms of efforts to develop the grassroots and provide some patronage to women sportspersons, only a few token statistics have broken through into mainstream conversation and informed decision-making.
There needs to be realization of the benefits of gender equality in areas such as women's participation in the labour force in regard to the socio-economic status of women, which have been empirically linked to success and participation in elite sports.
We need people, brands, governments etc to action their words. Everyone says they care about women and they care about equality. But are we watching the games? Are we supporting the growth of such leagues? Are we opening our wallets and using our voice to propel women in sports? Most important is how those in positions of power act, and match what they say.
Comments can be sent to imlisanenjamir@gmail.com
