The thrilling FIFA Women’s World Cup currently going on in Australia/New Zealand is loaded with motivational and inspirational stories for girls to emulate.
The landscape for participation of girls in sports must be enhanced through motivation, encouragement, and incentives with more organized opportunities.
The major barrier that comes in the way for girls to participate in sports comes in the form of societal misconceptions mostly rooted deep into the cultural and traditional myths embedded in our society. However, in recent years there is light-hearted progress being made to rectify this situation.
There is much to be desired through education and programming of the parents and communities, especially in the rural and suburban areas not only in Goa but in India at large. The benefits achieved for girls to participate in sports are the same as I discussed for the boys including the educational values along with health and wellness.
INJURIES, KNEE HEALTH
The only exception being one must pay attention to their physiological and anatomical needs while planning the programming schemes/programmes. For example, due to the anatomical structure of the knee, the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are more common in female athletes than their male counterparts. It is almost an epidemic in female professionals and youth sports.
Sports that include changing of directions (cutting, pivoting, and decelerating) are more susceptible and female athletes are four times likely to experience ACL tears. This problem can be remediated by developing muscle strength of the hamstrings, gluteus, and the core. There must be a dedicated programme for girls addressing ACL injury prevention.
Another area of concern that must be taken into consideration is the overuse injuries to the “Epiphysis” (growth plate) found between the joints on the region of the long bones that form the joints (knee/hip joint). This is true for boys too. Mostly occurs in sports that are played year-round with repetitive movements. Physical therapists, trainers and coaches can use prevention programmes to address and prevent ACL and overuse injuries. Mostly done through cross-training in and off season.
India has made some modest progress in some sports at Asian championships. At the world level where elite athletes participate, India has performed respectable in hockey, athletics, boxing, and weightlifting etc. However, Goa’s women teams’ performance participating in the inter-state and nationals is much to be desired.
Like for the boys, there must be well-planned programming for girls at the schools/colleges level. Such programming will provide an avenue to feed talent to the national teams through the sub-juniors/junior championships which, in turn, come from the local and state teams. The hiring of foreign coaches from high performing countries will serve this group well, especially in imparting scientific training (Tactical/Technical, Sports Psychology, Biomechanics, Sport Medicine, and Sport Nutrition, etc.).
The western world has tremendous advantages in these areas where most of the sports research provides transferable findings to the coaches to be used in their day-to-day practice training sessions. Western countries have more freely available organised sports opportunities for girls to participate and be successful. Barriers must be minimised, and opportunities provided.
DISRUPTIVE THINKING
India needs a “disruptive thinking” programming to enhance ecosystem for sports performances of our teams/individual athletes on a consistent bases at international level. It will take a radical approach starting at ground level with children/students in schools/colleges which will form an integral part of the foundation that will be a feeding system to the junior and senior national teams of the country.
When the base of this “sports triangle” is broad and with strong foundation (basic scientific training) the top of the pyramid where the national teams’ function will always have talent on consistent bases to participate at international competition and fair respectable.
Sports is a highly competitive business model and to make it successful, expertise and resources must be provided to develop a culture of success (winning) on a consistent basis at different levels of competition. This endeavour must be sustainable through the Goa/Indian Government, Indian Olympic Committee, National Sports Associations, and the local State Sports Associations, which must work in concert to develop and promote sports.
Selecting the best and the brightest experts from India and abroad must be hired to provide technical leadership with constant evaluations based on criterion measures.
The writer presently based in Ohio-US has won awards in multiple sports in his youth and served in Higher Education as faculty member, administrator, and innovator in sports in the US for 32 years
