Center supports sports players today: Indian weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari at #WeWomenWant festival

iTV Network hosted the second edition of We Women Want Conclave And Awards in Delhi on Monday. The event was attended by Gold medalist Boxer and 2023 World Champion, Nitu Ghanghas and veteran Indian weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari.

World Champion Boxer Nitu Ghanghas spoke about her journey and said, “Many places do not have the facility to start with sports training if a girl wants to have a career in it. For example my village has no stadium, so I had to practice on roads. After going to camps, we got the facilities to make huge improvements in our game.”

Speaking about the sports infrastructure in India, Karnam Malleshwari said, “There has been a lot of change since when I started. There are sports science centres, sports medicines, etc. which were not there during my time. But the struggle remains same due to lack in infrastructure and coaching at the grassroot level. India has the potential to move ahead of China but lags behind because of the same reason.”

“Things have changed a lot now. One can now get training in their preferred country with support from the sports ministry. When I became world champion in 1995 and arrived at the airport, I was shoved aside for the Miss World who was on the same flight. Now when our children win commonwealth, they are attended by ministers at the airports. I never had to go to Kiren Rijiju’s PA or send mails, I just had to text him on WhatsApp and he would be ready to meet me instantly. Anurag Thakur is always ready to meet any athlete at anytime. Khelo India centres support ex-players who do not have govenrment jobs,” sjhe further said.

The event marks the second edition of the We Women Want Conclave and Awards, honouring India’s women achievers. The festival is an extravaganza celebrating women and saluting their spirit.