COVID19 has aected every athlete

These are tough times for the sportspersons — irrespective of gender — and the associations are taking every step to help them during the crisis.

emotional stress or seek help from within the team’s leadership group. We also encourage the support sta to keep the players informed about the current situation and any developments that concerns them. Managing players expectation is another important aspect and players can pick up the phone and reach out to anyone of us in the federation in case of any help they require. Additionally, the High Performance Director, David John, speaks with both the Chief Coaches Graham Reid and Sjoerd Marijne with regards to senior core probables and support sta on a regular basis to understand in case they require any other support.

We don’t treat our teams dierently. Both teams need equal attention and care during these dicult times,” said Hockey India.

In combat sports like boxing and wrestling, men and women athletes have been enjoying equal status and similar facilities. These factors helped these two sports immensely during the lockdown as the women athletes did not have to struggle to maintain their tness and keep in touch with their training.

Boxing, which earned nine Olympic quota places in the Asia/oceania qualier in Jordan earlier this year, was the rst sport to have recognised the challenge posed by the COVID19 outbreak and quickly redrew its plan to organise online coaching and monitoring of the athletes.

The women, who have earned four quota places out of a maximum ve, looked more active as they posted their training videos regularly on social media.

“Our women boxers are as strong as the male boxers. These are times when we are all trying to understand new ways of living amidst the Corona pandemic and the women boxers are no dierent,” said Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh.

“One of the instructions given to the coaches was to keep talking to all the boxers, including the women, and monitor their mental wellbeing. We organised special sessions as well as oneonone consultations for the boxers, including the women pugilists, with mental trainers.”

Singh said in the age of digital revolution “reaching out has never been an issue.”

Citing examples of the iconic Mary Kom and promising boxers like Lovlina Borgohain, Manju Rani and Jamuna Boro, Singh said, “Our women boxing stars have led the way in not just bringing laurels for the country but also in inspiring young girls to dream and pursue a career in boxing. We are proud to have some strongwilled and tough women who are ready to take any challenge and have deservedly earned themselves iconic status.”

Indian wrestling, which has stars like Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik and Asian Games champion Vinesh Phogat, too, never treated its women athletes dierently.

“We don’t have any dierentiation among men and women in wrestling. The

guidelines are the same for everyone and like men the women have been training on their own,” said Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) secretary V.N. Prasood.

“We have to wait until the camp resumes and see when the United World Wrestling allows competitions to begin,” he added.

Weightlifting is another sport which has some top women athletes like former World champion Mirabai Chanu and Rakhi Halder, who have a chance to qualify for the Olympics. The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) has extended all help to these top athletes during the lockdown and is eagerly awaiting the resumption of the National camp.

Shantha Rangaswamy, Former India captain and Apex Council Member, BCCI, said, “Sports in general is going to be aected due to the coronavirus, women’s sports more so. But I can assure you that women’s cricket in

India will be less aected than other parts of the globe. That’s simply because no one will let it happen like that. The BCCI will ensure that it does everything possible to keep things going.

“I don’t think the Board led by Sourav Ganguly will ever think on the lines of neglecting women’s cricket. Even for the proposed Australia tour, they have scheduled women’s xtures, that explains it all.

“There is a sea of change as compared to what it was 15 years ago, simply because women’s cricket is now under the BCCI and also because of the fact that the current team (of administrators) have given importance to the women’s game.

“That said, there will obviously be some impact due to the worldwide pandemic and it will take some time to get back the momentum the women’s team had got during the T20 World Cup. But I am condent, things will ease out soon.

RAYAN, UTHRA GANESAN,

Y. B. SARANGI & SHAYAN ACHARYA

T. VIJAYA KUMAR Plain talk: Budding athletes going through tness drills at the Police Parade Grounds in Guntur. “I cannot say that it has aected women specically, it has aected both genders. Everything is okay, we have not faced any critical situation specic to girls,” says Latha, the secretary of the Tamil Nadu Athletics Association.

K. PICHUMANI Lending support: David John, High performance Director, Hockey India, regularly speaks with both the Chief Coaches Graham Reid and Sjoerd Marijne with regards to senior core probables and support sta to understand in case they require any other support.

PTI G. P. SAMPATH. KUMAR Expert opinion: “There will obviously be some impact due to the worldwide pandemic and it will take some time to get back the momentum the women’s team had got during the T20 World Cup. But I am condent, things will ease out soon,” says Shanta Rangaswamy.

Full of praise: “Our women boxing stars have led the way in not just bringing laurels for the country but also in inspiring young girls to dream and pursue a career in boxing. We are proud to have some strongwilled and tough women who are ready to take any challenge and have deservedly earned themselves iconic status,” says Ajay Singh , president of the Boxing Federation of India.