15/04/2020
By Saba Rajkotia
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has launched an initiative to improve the health and performance of India’s female athletes. Starting in Bengaluru, SAI held a special, 40-minute long online class titled “Encouraging and Supporting Female Athletes”. The class mainly discussed the menstrual cycle; maintaining and understanding menstrual health in order to ensure the players’ well-being as well as improve their performance and training.
The class was led by physiotherapist and Head of the Sports Sciences at Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), Dr. Poornima Raman Ngomdir. “The athletes were attentive and quite a few asked questions. A few were more comfortable seeking answers in private. Awareness has risen but there is still a long way to go” says Dr. Ngomdir. It will be some time before people feel comfortable discussing the subject freely, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
The session was attended by 20 athletes, including the women’s hockey team. It will be conducted a second time in SAI Patiala, where a much larger audience is expected. In both meetings, measures have been taken to ensure no males will be in attendance. Dr. Ngomdir advised the athletes to make an effort to understand their bodies by tracking their menstrual cycles – potentially through the use of mobile apps. In doing so, they would be able to optimise their training.
Speaking to the New Indian Express, Dr. Ngomdir says “In a sport like hockey for instance, a positive environment helps build trust among players. That can embolden players to open up and help each other out. I gave them the example of the England women’s hockey team and how they track their menstrual cycle and the benefits they have got from it”.
Also optimistic about this project is the SAI director-general Sandip Pradhan. “We want our female athletes to use their physiology to their advantage by planning their training sessions in keeping with their body clock. I’m sure this awareness will help them in the future”.
