The Pinkathon, a long distance running event was conceived and developed especially to encourage women to take up running. In some cities, women are stopped from practising sports after a certain age, they are told to give up their ‘tomboyish ways’. Some women are not allowed access to gyms as there are male trainers around. The fact that workouts stipulate a certain set of attire is another reason cited to keep women out of gyms. It’s the same with swimming. At times, women are held back because sports practice may entail commuting to maidans or other facilities early in the day and they might get late while returning home.

There is always a tendency to control women because sports makes a person strong, physically and mentally. It is time to break those shackles. Let little girls, like little boys, have the freedom to go out and play. When you spot talent and that fire to excel at a sport in a little girl’s eyes, give her that avenue to succeed. The Olympic podium may be hers to scale.

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For all the girls who dream of hearing the national anthem on foreign shores and seeing the tricolour fly high, fuel their ambition, feed that fire, do not stamp it out.