For ten months a year the women of Ladakh, India work hard juggling their work and studies. Despite their responsibilities, when the winter months roll in, they gear up for India’s hockey season (Agarwal, 2018). Away from the eyes of sports media, the Ladakh women have been playing hockey on Gupuk lake for the past two decades (Montroy, 2016). They experience gender-based discrimination and have constantly encountered a of lack funding along with limited access to facilities. The female athletes face numerous challenges but continue to persevere (Montroy, 2016). Each winter night, in groups of four the athletes splash the rink from 8 p.m. till 3 a.m. in preparation for the following days practice (Agarwal, 2018).
Barriers to Sport for Females in India
While hockey is popular in Ladakh, there is a substantial difference in the way that female and male players are treated (Montroy, 2016). Since ancient times sport has been a fundamental component of Indian culture. In the early Hindu period participation in archery, stick aerobics and ball sports was common among Indian women (Nanayakkara, 2012). European colonization profoundly impacted South Asian culture and greatly decreased women’s participation in sport (Chatterjee, 2013). Post-colonial attitudes and cultural practices such as forced marriage, child marriage, caste systems and son preferences has led to discrimination against women. Additionally, the religious preferences of Indian culture do not support the dress code of most Western sports. Short and tight clothing are not permitted in India as they “do not maintain a women’s pride” (Nanayakkara, 2012). Furthermore, in countries such as India where female virginity is very important, the erroneous belief that physical activity impacts virginity has meant that many parents forbid their daughters’ involvement in sport. Alternately, men are prized as economic assets and receive superior treatment. While men are able to participate in sport after marriage, women are required to care for their children and look after the house. Ultimately, the traditional ways of living often enforced upon Indian women creates major barriers for their participation in sport (Nanayakkara, 2012).
The female hockey players of Ladakh are no exception when it comes to their treatment. Hockey emerged in Ladakh in the early 70’s when local citizens enlisted in the army and found skates in an army facility. After rounding up field hockey sticks and sport balls the first games of ice hockey were played in India (Wangchuk, 2019). By the 1980’s leagues and tournaments began to appear however, women were forbidden from the sport. Women were restricted to “feminine” sports such as figure skating. Figure skaters often performed routines in between men’s hockey games to keep the crowd entertained (Wangchuk, 2019). Protests against the exclusion of women in hockey had significant impacts and by the 90’s females started to actively participate in the sport (Wangchuk, 2019). Today, hundreds of spectators attend men’s games while very little attend women’s games. The few people who show up to women’s games often have docile intentions (Montroy, 2016). With limited encouragement from their parents and families attaining proper hockey equipment is also a substantial challenge (Rao, 2010). Every time the girls have a match, they must frantically gather equipment by asking the men’s teams to borrow their equipment. The goaltender of India’s National team Noor Jahan has stated that when she began playing hockey the team “would wear and play in [men’s] equipment even if they were oversized.” She reflected that this was “not a good feeling” for her along with the rest of her teammates (Montroy, 2016).
Fighting Against Stereotypes
Along with gender-based discrimination, the female hockey players of India also face race-based discrimination. South Asians are often labelled as ‘space invaders’ in the predominantly white culture of hockey. The National Hockey League has only had three players of South Asian heritage in the league (Bains & Szto, 2020). While initiatives like Hockey Night in Punjabi have allowed the sport to grow internationally among South Asians, racist stereotypes still persist. Stereotypes that portray Asians as intellectually superior and ‘model-minorities’ often lead white people to believe that “Asians are not athletic” (Bains & Szto, 2020). The term ‘model minority’ first appeared in the 1960’s as a way to praise the “successful integration” of Japanese immigrants in the United States (Xu & Lee, 2013). Today the trope labels Asians across the globe as intelligent, hardworking and self-sufficient. While these stereotypes may seem positive, they have major consequences in the world of sports (Bains & Szto, 2020).
Intersectionality
It is important to understand that the female hockey players of India experience gender and raced-based discrimination on an intersecting basis. Over 30 years ago, Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality when she noticed the unfair treatment of black women in various American legal cases (Santovec, 2017). One case she came across consisted of a business hiring black men and white females but failing to hire black females. Ultimately, the hiring of black employees and female employees did not mean that they were hiring black females (Walby et al., 2012; Crenshaw, 2021). For this reason, she created the term intersectionality to display the interconnections of different constructs such as race, gender, sexuality and socioeconomic status. The term allows for the understanding of the experiences for those at the intersection of two or more oppressed identity groups. While Dr. Crenshaw created the term in response to American experiences the term can be applied internationally. When considering India’s National Women’s hockey team, they have dealt with gender-based discrimination in conjunction with colour discrimination when participating in international events (Davis, 2015).
International Debut
With the numerous barriers that the Ladakh female hockey players have faced, the women decided to create a Women’s ice hockey foundation. The mission of the foundation is to encourage hockey among young women in India and implement initiatives that aim to mentor and support the players. The foundation organizes tournaments as well as training camps and provides equipment for the athletes (Montroy, 2016). Thanks to the efforts of the young Ladakhi women the region has four full-strength local teams and about 100 athletes that play in local tournaments (Wangchuk, 2019; Montroy, 2016). In 2016, the Ice Hockey Association of India was so impressed with the girl’s passion for the sport that they decided a women’s team would be sent to the Challenge Cup of Asia in Taipei. Astonishingly, out of India’s entire female population the team was solely made up of Ladakh women (Wangchuk, 2019). Training for the tournament took place at a miniature rink in Gurgaon, India that is only 1/4th the size of an international rink (Montroy, 2016). When the team arrived in Taipei, they were incredibly daunted by the size of the arena and were not familiar with the official rules of ice hockey. Thankfully, a referee in chief at the tournament taught the girls the official rules of the sport. While the team got heavily defeated in all of their games, the tournament ignited a hunger for them to win future games (Montroy, 2016). Considering that the team had never played at an international level before and that a number of the players almost did not even make it to Taipei due to not owning a passport, the tournament was a major accomplishment (Montroy, 2016).
First Taste of International Success
Once India’s National Women’s hockey team went home, they immediately started working towards the 2017 Challenge Cup of Asia. Through hard work and a great deal of crowdfunding, the team secured their spot once again in the tournament (Wangchuk, 2019). In their second match against the Philippines the girls made history by grasping their first ever win at an international level. After the last buzzer went, numerous of the girls cried tears of joy. Despite getting beaten in the following three matches the team kept their heads held high and secured a second win against Malaysia (Wangchuk, 2019). In an interview with one of the team members, Tsering Chorol she recalled that the girls “were all so emotional and cried so much” at the end of the game. She stated that “even others became teary-eyed when our national anthem was being played.” These women made the country of India extremely proud. Upon their return home, they were met with ecstatic crowds at the airport as well as their respective villages (Wangchuk, 2019).
Capturing the Globe
The team’s success caught the world’s attention, especially the attention of Canadians. On a state visit to India in 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the team in Delhi. He tweeted that “India’s national women’s ice hockey team is breaking barriers, taking on challenges, and showing girls that anything is possible” (Wangchuk, 2019). The team also caught the attention of six-time Olympian and five-time medalist Hayley Wickenheiser. Hayley travelled to Ladakh and was able to run workshops and scrimmage with the girls. following her visit, she invited the team to WickFest, a hockey festival that aims to showcase women’s hockey. After extensive fundraising the team travelled to Calgary and participated in the festival (Ward, 2018).
India’s national women’s hockey team has continuously pushed barriers in hopes to create safe spaces for female Indian hockey players. Experiencing gender and race-based discrimination has not dimmed their strong passion for hockey. The girls continue practicing on Gupuk lake in Ladakh, India with hopes to one day make it to the Olympics (Ward, 2018).
References
Agarwal, P. (2017, March 8). Girls with goals: meet this badass hockey team from Ladakh. Conde Nast Traveller. https://www.cntraveller.in/story/meet-indias-women-ice-hockey-team/
Bains, A., & Szto, C. (2020). Brown skin, white ice: South Asian specific ice hockey programming in Canada. South Asian Popular Culture, 18(3), 181-199
Chatterjee, I. (2013). Monastic Governmentality, Colonial Misogyny, and Postcolonial Amnesia in South Asia. History of the Present (Champaign, ILL.), 3(1), 57-98.
Crenshaw, K. (2021). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. Droit et Societe, 108(2), 465-487.
Davis, A.N. (2015). Intersectionality and international law: recognizing complex identities on the global stage. Harvard Human Rights Journal, 28, 205-.
Montroy, L. (2016). Ladakh Women’s Ice Hockey Foundation Fights for Female Hockey in India. Women’s Hockey Life. https://womenshockeylife.com/ladakh-womens-ice-hockey-foundation-fights-for-female-hockey-in-india/
Nanayakkara, S. (2012). Crossing Boundaries and Changing Identities: Empowering South Asian Women through Sport and Physical Activities. International Journal of the History of Sport, 29(13), 1885-1906.
Rao, N.S. (2010). Constraints of Indian women participation in games and sports. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44 (Suppl 1), i62-i63.
Santovec, M. L. (2017). The Necessity of Intersectionality: A Profile of Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw. Women in Higher Education, 26(3), 8-9.
Walby, S., Armstrong, J., & Strid, S. (2012). Intersectionality: Multiple Inequalities in Social Theory. Sociology (Oxford), 46(2), 224-240.
Wangchuk, R.N. (2019, January 9). Even the Referees Cried When We Won: Meet India’s Amazing Women’s Ice Hockey Team. The Better India. https://www.thebetterindia.com/169048/ladakh-women-ice-hockey-tournament-history/
Ward, R. (2018, November 20). India’s 1st Women’s hockey team enjoys smooth skating in Alberta. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/india-hockey-womens-team-alberta-airdrie-calgary-1.4913154
Xu, J., & Lee, J.C. (2013). The Marginalized “Model” Minority: An Empirical Examination of the Racial Triangulation of Asian Americans. Social Forces, 91(4), 1363-1397.
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