Girls, uninterrupted: India's sportswomen let it rip
Over the last few years, young sportswomen have exploded onto the global stage with medal-winning performances. Their stories of perseverance amid hardship are now spurring a legion of determined girls around the country
By: Madhu Kapparath
Hockey
At Rajgangpur village in the interiors of Sundargarh district, Odisha, Sunil Tigga, an ex-armyman trains young girls and boys for free. The kids, who can’t even afford shoes, hope to make it to formal training academies. Local hockey tournaments are held on weekends where a goat is awarded as the prize.
Odisha, which has produced national hockey players such as Gloria Dung Dung and Roselin Dung Dung, has been getting the most marginalised and oppressed groups to the fore through its Sports Hostel scheme, which was launched in 1985. Under the scheme, children between 10 and 14 are scouted from grassroot levels across the state and are trained in a variety of sports.
At Rajgangpur village in the interiors of Sundargarh district, Odisha, Sunil Tigga, an ex-armyman trains young girls and boys for free. The kids, who can’t even afford shoes, hope to make it to formal training academies. Local hockey tournaments are held on weekends where a goat is awarded as the prize.
Odisha, which has produced national hockey players such as Gloria Dung Dung and Roselin Dung Dung, has been getting the most marginalised and oppressed groups to the fore through its Sports Hostel scheme, which was launched in 1985. Under the scheme, children between 10 and 14 are scouted from grassroot levels across the state and are trained in a variety of sports.
