Sex and the sport
ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND DEMANDS FOR SEXUAL FAVOURS ARE SULLYING THE IMAGE OF INDIAN SPORTS. WHAT ARE THE FEDERATIONS DOING ABOUT IT?
The Indian sports community is reeling under a slew of allegations of sexual harassment that have hit the headlines of late.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) fired chief cycling coach RK Sharma earlier this month after a well-known female cyclist accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour during a training tour in Slovenia. She claimed she was forced to share a hotel room with the coach under the guise of accommodation being arranged on a twin-sharing basis.
An inquiry committee’s preliminary report found the cyclist’s allegations to be true, and Sharma was fired. The next day, a national-level female sailor filed a complaint with the SAI, alleging that a coach (three-time Olympian and Indian Navy team coach) had made her “uncomfortable” during her training in Germany.
She claimed she approached the SAI only after the Sailing Federation ignored her repeated requests for action.
Last month, Hyderabad gymnast Aruna Budda Reddy, the first Indian to win an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup, claimed that one of the SAI coaches, Rohit Jaiswal, videotaped her physical fitness test in March this year at a stadium in Delhi without her permission.
Over 30 sexual harassment complaints registered in the last five years in government-run sports institutes have received media attention.
IT’S BEEN MORE THAN FOUR WEEKS SINCE THE COMMITTEE WAS CONSTITUTED. BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN CONCLUDED YET. I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE UP MY FIGHT AGAINST THE FEDERATION. I WILL WAIT TILL THE FINAL REPORT COMES. FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH A LOT OF TRAUMA. I LOST TOUCH WITH THE GAME, LOST CONFIDENCE AND HAVEN’T BEEN PRACTICING; MY FITNESS LEVELS HAVE GONE FOR A TOSS. ISN’T IT THE FEDERATION’S RESPONSIBILITY TO LOOK AFTER THE SAFETY OF THE ATHLETES? I AM 26 NOW, AND ABOUT TO UNDERGO ANOTHER SURGERY. IN MY PRESENT STATE OF MIND, I CANNOT PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES, WHICH IS MY DREAM — ARUNA BUDDA REDDY, Medal winner at Gymnastics World Cup
THE COMMITTEES HAVE PEOPLE FROM THE SPORTS FRATERNITY, BUT THAT’S NOT ENOUGH. AN IPS-LEVEL OFFICER UNDERSTANDS THE MAGNITUDE AND SENSITIVITY OF THE ISSUE AND WILL CALL FOR QUICK AND STERN ACTION
— ANJU BOBBY, former Medal winner in long jump, World Championships
FEDERATION FAILURE
While sexual harassment occurs in all fields, it appears that it is becoming more prevalent in sports.
Although it is the responsibility of the respective federations to handle such complaints, little is done.
According to Aruna Budda Reddy, nothing has been done to resolve her case, and action is being delayed despite concrete evidence.