Field hockey coach denounces gender inequality in India – 02/19/2024 – Sport

The Dutch coach of the Indian hockey team, Janneke Schopman, denounced the gender inequalities that exist in the country, both in sport and in society in general, the Indian Express newspaper reported this Monday (19).

The first woman to coach an Indian field hockey team, Schopman tearfully lamented the privileges the men’s team enjoys.

“I come from a culture where women are respected and valued. I don’t feel that here,” lamented the 46-year-old former Olympic champion, quoted by the Indian Express, after India’s victory over the United States in a decisive FIH Pro game League played in Odisha, in the east of the Asian country.

From minimum wages to a lack of training camps or media coverage, Indian female athletes often face inequalities in treatment, especially in male-dominated sports like hockey and cricket.

Schopman admitted to feeling “alone the last two years” and said she doesn’t feel “considered or valued” by the Asian country’s hockey federation.

“I see the difference in treatment in relation to male coaches (…), between the girls and the men’s team, in general”, he insisted.

“Personally, coming from the Netherlands and having worked in the United States, this country is extremely difficult for a woman, coming from a culture where, yes, (a woman) can have an opinion that is valued. It’s really difficult.”

Schopman took over the India women’s team after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, having served as the team’s analyst.

“When I was an assistant coach, some people didn’t even look at me or didn’t recognize me (…) and when I became head coach suddenly people started to be interested in me. I suffered a lot with this situation”, she added.

Schopman has a contract until the Paris Games, for which India did not qualify.