AS THE inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) kicks off in Mumbai on Saturday, with the Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians playing the first match, it heralds new beginnings for many.
For Delhi Capitals’ top-order batswoman Sneha Deepthi, a mother of a two-year-old at 26, it’s an opportunity to return to professional sport. Then there is Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batswoman Poonam Khemnar, 28, who recalls the opposition she faced from her parents for pursuing cricket.ere is also Australia legend and Delhi Capitals’ captain Meg Lanning, 32, who moved away from the game after guiding her side to the Commonwealth Games gold medal victory in August last year. She spent her time travelling and even worked in a cafe “making coffee and washing dishes”. She led Australia to the women’s T20 World title last month — her fifth World Cup triumph, four in T20s and one in ODIs.
The MI squad is studded with a brilliant line-up, one that features some competent all-rounders and captain Harmanpreet believes that the strength of her team is their balanced roster.
Ahead of the much-anticipated inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League, Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said she was ecstatic to be at the helm of the franchise.
“It is a big opportunity for me and I’m looking to take it with both hands. Hopefully, I’ll be able to deliver my hundred percent. I will give my best in every way,” Harmanpreet said in the team’s first press meet on Thursday.
The concept of sport and democracy can be explored as democracy in sport, democracy through sport, and the intersectionality across these concepts. For example, sport and democracy may look at sport as an incubator for ideals - including a space where citizens have an equal chance to voice opinions. Team sports can provide an environment that helps create future citizens who are grounded in the values of teamwork, which is essential for advancing democracy. Sport and democracy can see individuals in an undemocratic society advocating for democracy in sport activities or arenas. Finally, sport and democracy can be examined through the concept of good governance and hierarchies in sport.
Sport and democracy has been discussed in a webinar by UConn’s Neag School of Education, a Play the Game article about democracy and autocracy, a BBC article about sport and politics, and a Council of Europe article about how to advance human rights through sport, among other sources.
Additionally, to spark further ideation and exploration, below are examples of how and where sport and democracy may take shape:
- Democratic behaviour and values within a sports activity or sports NGO (intragroup)
- Physical activity that promotes democracy across various groups (intergroup)
- Sport as a tool to contribute to democratic societies (grassroots/community level)
- Governance, government processes, and political elections that affect sports bodies (national level)
- Sports governing bodies use of high-profile global sports events to promote human rights (international level)
- Sports venues/spaces to promote participation in election voting
- Sports events to promote trust in government institutions
- Athlete activism to promote human rights and the elevation of underserved people and voices
- Democratising the sport for development sector (e.g., ensuring different voices are heard, distributing resources in a more equitable way, addressing power imbalances between different parts of the world)
Sports diplomacy
Diplomacy is defined as the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad. Diplomacy can contribute to fostering democracy and building strong institutions.
Sports diplomacy refers to the unique power of sport to bring people, nations, and communities closer together via a shared love of physical pursuits. According to the US Embassy in Mexico, sport “provides a pathway to build bridges and enhance people-to-people ties, as the universal passion for sports transcends sociocultural and linguistic barriers, and unites people. Sports are a fun and efficient way to reach out to certain strategic audiences, such as at-risk youth due to violence or extreme poverty; girls and women; indigenous communities, and people with disabilities, among others.”
Similar to sport for development, sports diplomacy can promote values and life skills related to leadership, gender equality, non-violence, and community engagement. The key difference may be that diplomacy often functions across nations or governments, while development may often take place at the community level.
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