PV Sindhu named BBC Indian Sportswoman of Year

Indian badminton player PV Sindhu won the inaugural BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award following a public vote.

The shortlist of five contenders also consisted of sprinter Dutee Chand, boxer Mary Kom, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and para-badminton player Manasi Joshi.

In 2019, Sindhu became the first Indian to win badminton World Championship gold in Basel, Switzerland.

She is considered a medal prospect at this year's Olympics in Tokyo.

PV Sindhu is the first Indian singles badminton player to win an Olympic silver medal

"I would like to dedicate this award to my supporters and fans that have supported me all along and also voted for me," the 24-year-old said.

"Awards like BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year give us motivation and encouragement to go much further.

"My message to all young sportswomen is that as women we have to believe in ourselves. Hard work is the key to success. I'm sure soon there will be more Indian sportswomen winning medals for the country."

Sindhu has five World Championship medals and is the first Indian singles badminton player to win an Olympic silver medal.

She entered the top 20 of the world rankings in September 2012, aged 17, and has been in the top 10 for the past four years.

PT Usha is considered to be one of India's greatest athletes

The BBC award ceremony was held in New Delhi in the presence of eminent sportspersons, sports writers and influencers.

Former sprinter PT Usha was given the Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to Indian sports and inspiring generations of players.

She won more than 100 international medals and awards during her career.

The Indian Olympics Association also named her Best Sportswoman of the Century.

She finished fourth in the 400m 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, missing out on a medal by one hundredth of a second.

The five nominees for the BBC Indian Sportswoman award were announced in February, having been chosen by a panel from all parts of India.

(Source: BBC)

Sprinter Dutee Chand becomes India's first openly gay athlete

Runner reveals she is in relationship with woman from her village in Odisha state

Indian sprinter Dutee Chand has revealed she is in a same-sex relationship, becoming the country’s first openly gay athlete.

Chand, 23, told the Indian Express she was in a relationship with a woman from her village in eastern Odisha state, saying she found the courage to come out after India’s top court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex last year.

In the interview, Chand said: “I have found someone who is my soulmate. I believe everyone should have the freedom to be with whoever they decide they want to be with. She said her focus was on upcoming international competitions, including the Olympics, but “in the future I would like to settle down with her”.

Dutee Chand said she found the courage to come out after India scrapped a ban on gay sex last year. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Despite slowly changing attitudes, same-sex relationships remain taboo in India. Chand said noone had the right to judge her as an athlete because of her sexual orientation, which was a personal decision that should be respected.

“I have always believed that everyone should have the freedom to love. There is no greater emotion than love and it should not be denied,” she said.

She did not reveal her partner’s identity to save her from undue attention.

Chand was praised on social media for her courage, with prominent Indian LGBT rights activist Harish Iyer calling her a “beacon of hope”. He tweeted: “@DuteeChand has paved the path for many, by simply standing up for herself.”

Like South African Olympic athlete Caster Semenya, Chand has hyperandrogenism, a condition that naturally produces high testosterone levels. She was previously barred from competing under International Association of Athletics Federations rules and subjected to abuse for being “unfeminine”.

But Chand won an appeal at the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) in 2015, paving the way for athletes with hyperandrogenism to compete in 100 metre and 200 metre races. The decision allowed her to run in the 2018 Asian Games, where she won two silver medals.

However, this month, the Cas rejected a similar appeal by Semenya against rules requiring middle-distance female athletes with a high testosterone level to take medication to reduce it. Chand told local media the ruling made her “very sad”.

(Source: The Guardian)