I will strive to promote female sportspersons in our country, says Jwala Gutta

Hyderabadi badminton ace Jwala Gutta is all set to don a new hat as a member of the governing body of

Sports Authority of India

(SAI). While the feisty south paw confesses the news of her appointment did come as a “surprise”, she’s got her agenda spelt out — promote women in sports.
“The appointment letter reached me on March 14 and it came as an absolute surprise to me. I am very happy, of course, and I want to do whatever I can to for the betterment of women sportspersons in the country,” she shares, elatedly.
The 14-time national champion had found herself at loggerheads with the SAI when she was ignored for the

Target Olympic Podium Scheme

in the run-up to the Rio Olympics in 2015. She says, her appointment to the governing body comes as a vindication of her contribution to Indian sport. “It is definitely a kind of vindication. But my grouse wasn’t with the SAI specifically; it was with the way

Badminton Authority of India

had handled the situation,” she says.
The

Common Wealth Games

gold medalist has set her sights on getting the female athletes of India the respect they deserve. “Women sportspersons are discriminated against in our country. They don’t get the best facilities nor are they treated as equals with the men. That needs to change as we all saw that it was the women who brought home the laurels form the Rio Olympics. So that will be my focus,” she says, signing off