She's only the second gymnast to perform the famous Produnova vault perfectly in the game's history. She's also the first Indian gymnast to not only qualify for the Olympics, but also make it to the finals. At Rio, Dipa Karmakar narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal, but won the hearts of a billion Indians. Praise and tributes poured in from all corners. But among all the adulation, Dipa remembers one comment, and it wasn't a compliment. "On a Facebook post where everyone else was congratulating me, one person commented, 'Dipa should be ashamed of herself for wearing such a costume'. Although someone replied saying, 'She can't compete in a burqa after all,' I still felt bad. I almost won a medal, but still someone found fault with what I was wearing," she had said. Dipa isn't alone in facing flak for a sports outfit instead of for one's game. In India, it is common enough for a girl in sports to regularly face either the moral police or leching. As Akanksha Singh, former captain of the Indian women's basketball team, says, "A comment on the dress or outfit is something every female player in India has to face at one point or the other."
'Spectators yell at us to cover up during games'
For athletes at the international level, a lot of such comments are due to the constant spotlight on them. But it is no different for girls competing at the school, college, district or national level either. A national-level-gymnast, who studies in DU, says, "Even during competitions, you hear comments on your clothes and body from spectators, but we can't do anything about that." Members of the basketball team of Shri Ram College of Commerce shoot some hoops to pose for us, as some students volunteer to illustrate the 'staring onlookers' problem. Many say that they hear comments on everything during competitions. Vaidika Kota, a national-level badminton player from LSR, says, "Sometimes, when I'm cooling down after a practice session, spectators stare. They don't say anything, but they stare in a way that is enough to make you uncomfortable. All this remains at the back of my head at all times. And if I'm thinking about my skirt and clothes when I'm playing, it obviously impacts my game."
'Don't show-off'
Players and coaches agree that it is inevitable for such comments to get to players, causing them to even lose focus. Gymnastics coach and Dronacharya awardee Bisweswar Nandi, who has coached Dipa Karmakar, says, "It's unfortunate, the kind of comments Dipa and the girls face. It can distract their focus and affect their performance, which is completely unnecessary." Girls say that sometimes, the barrage of comments gets too much for some, so they quit the sport altogether. Ritu, a 17-year-old swimmer from Delhi, says, "It does get to you after a while. I know a number of girls who get so disheartened that they contemplate quitting the sport. A few even do, and that is a loss not just for the person but for sport as a whole."
Sania Mirza issued a fatwa
Back in 2005, Sania Mirza was issued a fatwa over her tennis outfits. Commenting on the controversy over the length of her skirt, Sania had said, "As long as I'm winning, people shouldn't care whether my skirt is six inches long or six feet long." Female athletes say that by making a player's outfit the focus of attention, one sends out the message that what you wear is more important than how you play. Akanksha elaborates, "Many times, people are not trying to insult you. They actually mean well. At camps, coaches and officials say, 'there are boys around so make sure your shorts aren't too high. Kuch dikhna nahi chahiye'. All this makes you conscious to a certain extent."
Guys don't have to worry
Parul Sharma, a national-level footballer, says, "During the game, if we slide to tackle, it is natural that our T-shirt or shorts ride up. But the crowd immediately starts to jeer. They say that sportspersons in India have it tough, but at least guys don't have to worry about it. For us, managing our outfits becomes as important as dribbling the ball."
Tough for girls
For many girls, just like charity, comments on the length of their hemlines also begin at home. Ridhi Soni, a basketball player from SRCC, says, "For girls from smaller towns, it's tougher. Their parents constantly tell them to wear something on top of their shorts to practice. They say that people will stare and that it doesn't look decent." Akanksha adds, "When we have tournaments and camps in smaller towns, we often see girls there coming to the stadium with track pants over their shorts. They say, 'gharwaale kehte hain ki court se baahar toh cover ho kar raho'."