Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker praises ASMITA leagues, says programme is ‘changing mindsets’

New Delhi, Nov 18 During the launch of ASMITA women’s league social media handles, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Khadse, honoured members of the bronze-winning Indian (under-20) women’s rugby team here on Tuesday, with Olympian Manu Bhaker, present at the event, praising the initiative.

Raksha Khadse stated that it was time for ASMITA to establish a unique identity. Since its inception in 2021, ASMITA has achieved significant milestones.

So far, a total of 1,886 ASMITA leagues have been organised in collaboration with National Sports Federations and state authorities. Over 2.14 lakh women have participated in some form of ASMITA league across India. These leagues span 32 sports and are held in more than 500 districts and 600 cities, including remote villages in Arunachal Pradesh, tribal regions, and border areas.

“This shows the government’s intention to bring young women to limelight. Through social media, we can penetrate even further and raise awareness for women wanting to play a sport,” said Khadse.

Raksha Khadse honoured six members - Dumuni Marndi, Bhumika Shukla, Ujjwala Ghughe, Guriya Kumari, Sandhya Rai, and Amandeep Kaur – of the Indian women’s rugby team. Most of the Indian national team that achieved a historic bronze at the Asian U-20 Championship in Rajgir, Bihar, earlier this year, came from ASMITA Leagues.

“We want to create more opportunities for women and tap from the grassroots level. The ministry has a proper structure to groom talent and our women need the attention they deserve. We also have to look at all sports and ensure that people can make careers. Look at cricket, they introduced equal pay for men and women. We have to try and apply the same formula to all sports,” said Khadse.

Present at the occasion was Manu Bhaker, a celebrated shooter and double medallist at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 23-year-old pistol shooter praised the ASMITA programme, which began in 2021 and is one of the world's largest leagues for women India.

“We women are demonstrating what we are capable of. In the last two Olympics, women athletes have done incredibly well and if we have to do well in the 2036 Olympics, programmes like ASMITA and Khelo India are the way to go,” said Manu, adding: “More importantly, these leagues are changing mindsets, especially in rural India where women don’t come to sport naturally. We should do everything to cheer for our girls because they can do equally well like the men.”

ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action) is part of Khelo India’s gender-neutral initiative to encourage women's participation in sports through leagues and competitions. The Sports Authority of India supports National Sports Federations in organising Khelo India women’s leagues across various age groups at both zonal and national levels. Launched in 2021, ASMITA leagues aim not only to boost women's sports participation but also to serve as a platform for discovering new talent across India.

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