Sports activities depict several phenomena. Firstly, it is a reflection of health and fitness. With the rising awareness of health issues, it has evolved as an activity that people take up in leisure time as well, to ensure both physical and mental fitness. Secondly, sports are also the embodiment of other important social skills such as team building, leadership, decision making, taking responsibility, etc. Thirdly, sports activities are connected to mental fitness and are effective in instilling energy and zeal among people involved.

However, it is pertinent to note that, underlying this essential health and social positive effects, sports is also an area that reflects deep-rooted gender-based ideologies and social beliefs. The concept of “Gender” itself is primarily a social understanding. It denotes the social norms that fabricate the differences between women and men which are not necessarily biological. In this context, sports as an activity operates in the form a domain that depicts, highlights, inculcates and celebrates the masculine identity based on physical dominance, aggression, and competitiveness. Concomitant with these masculine traits, the social image of sports find its manifestation to nurture and further legitimize the pseudo superiority of men reinforcing that women are not meant for such activities since the feminine traits are primarily, and again socially constructed to be passive, docile, gentle, emotional, etc. Hence, women in sports, or choosing sports as a career option for women has been a matter that raises eyebrows in society at large.

In this context, the proposed seminar is expected to create a platform where there can be deliberations between the various parties involved in this aspect i) primarily being the  women veteran players in different sports who have embraced sports as their career options; ii) the academicians and researchers, who are interested in the area and can contribute with their knowledge and empirical data; iii) the policy makers, who can act as an instrument to promote, encourage, and protect such women who wish to take up sports as their career or are interested to engage in sports.