Wish to see more women being conferred with Khel Ratna in future: Debasree Chaudhuri

Debasree Chaudhuri, Minister of State for Woman and Child Development said that she hoped to see more women being honoured with Khel Ratna and Dronacharaya Award while addressing a webinar on National Sports Day 2020. She also said that sports must be played without discrimination and that sports films have encouraged women to take part in sports. Women should not only see sports as a career but also a way of life added Debashree Chaudhuri during her address. 

Debashree Chaudhuri on Sportswomen

Debashree Chaudhuri addressed a webinar on 'Women Shaping the Future of Modern Sports' on Saturday. The digital event was organized by FICCI to celebrate the National Sports Day 2020. During her address, she encouraged women to join sports and take it seriously. She also said that she wishes to see sportswomen winning more awards. 

"I wish we see more women being conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Dronacharya Award in the future. The practice of sports is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sports without discrimination of any kind," said Debashree Chaudhuri.

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Debashree Chaudhuri also said that women have what it takes to be a great sportsperson and that age is no bar for Indian sportswomen. She also cited examples of young sportswomen like Monika Batra, Deepa Karmakar, Sakshi Malik and Rani Rampal as well as elderly sportswomen like Chandra Tomar, Prakashi Tomar and Sardarni Man Kaur who have been contributing to the sports sector. Debashree Chaudhuri also stated that women have the power to be successful sportswomen even after getting married and having babies and gave examples of Serena Williams and Sania Mirza. She also hailed the Ministry of Women and Child Development for giving importance to the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' which has encouraged girls to take up sports.

Secretary of Sports, Youth, Art, Culture and Tourism, Jharkhand, Pooja Singhal said, "Jharkhand has, since long, had a bright history of strong women participating at various competitive levels. In the last few National Games, Jharkhand has been one of the states that have the highest percentage of women sportspersons across all sporting disciplines. Jharkhand's New Sports Policy has laid significance in identifying talent at the grassroots level in Hockey, Football, Archery, and athletics. In the forthcoming FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, 8 tribal girls from Jharkhand have been selected for the national team."

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Speaking on the occasion, the Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee, Olympian Archer Deepika Kumari said, "However, we have seen a sea-change. We now have well- equipped sports academies in the country and the infrastructure for sports has improved manifold. I'm confident India will win more Olympic medals in the future."

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Stressing on the importance of mental health in sports, Arjuna Awardee and former Olympian swimmer, Nisha Millet said, "We need to confront the mental health issues faced by sportspersons. The athletes spend a lot of time away from their families and therefore, it is very important to speak about the mental health of our athletes. The sportspersons face a lot of pressure at the highest level and therefore the conversation about mental health is very important."

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Shabnam Panjwani, Co-Chair, FICCI Sports and Youth Affairs Committee and EVP, Edelweiss said that the webinar will kickstart the process of mitigating problems in the sports sector and aid support women in playing for the country. "Jharkhand is right at the forefront of being a change maker and creating a sports ecosystem. Best sporting stories come from smaller towns and villages," said Panjwani. She also spoke about Edelweiss's association with sportswomen while praising Jharkhand's sportswomen spirit. 

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(With inputs from ANI)