India’s players Vandana Katariya, Navjot Kaur and Gurjit Kaur on Tuesday said the historic fourth place in the Tokyo Olympics has raised the profile of women’s hockey in the country to a great extent.
India finished fourth in women’s hockey at the Tokyo Games after losing to Great Britain in the bronze medal play-off last year. It was the best performance in 41 years since the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where the national team also finished fourth.
“There has definitely been a change in mindset since the Tokyo Olympics last year,” midfielder Navjot Kaur said during a virtual press conference on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Tuesday.
“Now, all parents want their children to play sports. Most of the parents believe that their children will have a better future with sports as well as focus on studies.
Forward Vandana Kataria also expressed a similar sentiment, saying that she was amazed to see so many girls coming out to play hockey in her hometown Roshanabad in Uttarakhand.
“After the Olympics, it has been great to see more than 250 athletes play a game of hockey in Roshanabad (Uttarakhand) and most of the 250 athletes are girls. It’s great to see the popularity of hockey and everyone in my hometown tells me the rules of the game.”
When asked what advice she would give to young girls who want to take up this sport, Kataria said, “There will be many people who say many things when women come out to play sports, but we don’t have to listen to anyone. Must listen
“If we listen to the people, we can take a step back. We need to believe in ourselves and keep our focus on the game and ignore everyone who says wrong things.”
Defender Gurjit Kaur said that women should always believe in themselves.
“Women have a lot of power and can do anything. Women should stay strong and should not give up. Whatever women do, whether it is playing sports or working in business, they should believe in themselves,” she said.
“If one has the support of his family, anything can be achieved. We also need to have a positive attitude towards every problem that comes in our life. I know it’s easier said than done, but we need to learn how to keep a positive attitude in difficult situations.”
The Indian women’s hockey team will be seen in action in a two-legged FIH Pro League match against Germany on March 12 and 13 here.
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