State backing helps Haryana's women sportspersons excel

Women from Haryana, a conservative state, are taking giant strides in sports.

- RAVINDER MALIK

With its aim to push sports, the Haryana government is leaving no stones unturned. A lot of this push for sports is also directed towards women's sports in a state, where women, in spite of coming from a conservative background are excelling in sports.

In Haryana, one can witness women sportspersons sprinting in the morning in the small lanes and bylanes, on the roads and through the rice and wheat fields. Be it wrestling, hockey, weightlifting, kabaddi, boxing or shooting, Haryana's female sportspersons are proving their mettle every day. Some of the prominent women sports personalities from the state are Saina Nehwal, Sakshi Malik, the Phogat sisters, Manu Bhakar, Paralympian Deepa Malik and many others. Sonipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani and Panipat districts are known for producing the maximum number of female sportspersons. To give an example, out of 12, as many as 8 boxers from Haryana secured a place in the national team announced by the National Federation of Boxing for international championships. Five of these eight belong to Bhiwani, which is known as mini Cuba in terms of boxing.

As Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said: "It is a matter of great pride to all Haryanvis that Haryana's sportspersons have continued to bring laurels to the country in international events. I am happy to inform you that in the recently held Khelo India Youth Games in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana stood second with a total medals tally of 128, of which 41 are gold. It is overwhelming the way women sportspersons are performing and inspiring other states."