BBC to hold India Sportswoman of the Year contest

The BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2019 will be announced in March 2020

The BBC has announced a new sports award to celebrate and honour India's finest sportswomen - with the winner chosen by the fans.

The BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2019 will be chosen from a shortlist put together by a jury of sports journalists.

Then the responsibility will be handed to the fans, who will be able to vote for their favourite.

The winner will be announced in March.

Sports fans can cast their votes on any of the BBC's Indian language websites - Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati and Punjabi.

• Indian women make history in Rio

The new award was unveiled on Thursday at a press conference in Delhi.

Karnam Malleshwari, the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, was guest-of-honour at the press conference. She told the BBC that sports is a great tool of empowerment for women in India, where they are often seen as victims, or as weak, or as only belonging to the entertainment and glamour industry.

Karnam Malleshwari (centre), the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, was a chief guest at the press conference.

"I am very excited that we are launching this initiative that is close to my own heart," the head of the BBC's Indian language services Rupa Jha said. "It is very important for us to highlight the fantastic achievements that many of our female sports personalities have had, and the huge challenges many have faced."

The winner - whoever has the highest number of votes - will be honoured at an event in Delhi. An Indian sportswoman will also receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the same event.

The BBC will also organise events in several cities in the run-up to the main award ceremony in March. The goal is to reach people across the country and raise awareness about the achievements of Indian sportswomen.

India has won 13 Olympic medals since 2000 - five of those were won by women. Men had won all the 13 medals before that.

"The BBC is committed to improving the representation of women in the news and I'm delighted that the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award 2019 will deliver on that aim for our growing audiences," said Jamie Angus, director of BBC World Service.