It’s a shame that India’s women athletes remain vulnerable to predators even in the 21st century amidst demands for gender equality. The latest victim of predatory sexual advances is an international-level cyclist, who was undergoing training to represent the country in a camp abroad, wherein the team’s chief coach made sexual advances towards her. Credit should be given to the woman for courageously lodging a formal complaint against the offender despite the risks involved. As prima facie the allegations are found to be true, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has no other alternative but to terminate the contract of the offender. Thus, to keep women athletes in a secure environment, the associations should keep a close eye on the conduct of coaches, especially those associated with women's teams. Otherwise, families will stop sending their daughters to coaching centers, sooner than later on the apprehension of indecent behaviour of coaches.
It is astonishing to note that notwithstanding numerous complaints against coaches by women athletes, very few have been punished. In a ten-year period that ended in 2020, SAI had received 45 complaints of sexual harassment from athletes, in which 29 coaches were alleged to be involved. Out of the 29, only two have been terminated and one was suspended, besides pay reduction of five coaches. The remaining coaches were either allowed to go scot-free or received minor admonishment such as transfer. In many cases, the inquiry took a long time to be completed, which allowed the accused persons to continue with their jobs. With such poor track record of punishing the guilty, it is clear that SAI has failed to protect women athletes, which is not a good sign for Indian sports.
The SAI along with other sporting associations should adopt a zero-tolerance policy against inappropriate behaviour towards women athletes. They should take all necessary measures including formation of a separate independent commission, which will look into such cases in a time-bound manner. At the same time, just like the anti-ragging pledge which has been made mandatory for students and guardians to sign before admission to any educational institution, coaches should be made to sign a declaration that they understand that sexual abuse is illegal and will be immediately removed from service if found guilty of any form of predatory action.
After seven decades of Independence, Indian sportspersons have begun faring well in the international arena. In the Tokyo Olympics, the country won the first Gold medal in track and field events. Recently, the country has won the Thomas Cup, for the first time. India is progressing well in various other disciplines too and on the verge of being known as a sporting nation. In such a situation, any leniency shown towards sexual predators will greatly impact sportswomen and men, and stifle the growth of Indian sports.