BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year nominees revealed
- Published
The shortlist for the BBC Indian Sportswoman award has been announced in Delhi.
The accolade honours the contributions of Indian sportswomen and celebrates the achievements of women in sport in the country.
The list of five contenders for 2021 features shooter Manu Bhaker, sprinter Dutee Chand, chess player Koneru Humpy, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and hockey captain Rani.
Voting for the award is now closed and the winner will be announced on Monday, 8 March at a virtual ceremony in Delhi and on the BBC Sport website. Terms and conditions and privacy notice are available via the voting page.
The BBC launched the inaugural edition of the award in February 2020 and, following a tumultuous 12 months in which the coronavirus pandemic has affected all areas of life, the campaign returns for its second year.
Also recognised this year is the Emerging Sportswoman of the Year, and there is also an award for Lifetime Achievement.
A panel selected by the BBC compiled the shortlist of Indian sportswomen. The jury includes some of the most authoritative sports journalists, experts and writers across India.
The five sportswomen who received the most number of votes by jury members have been nominated for public voting online.
This year's BBC ISWOTY also features a 'Sports Hackathon' in which multilingual journalism students from across India will collectively create new Wikipedia entries on Indian sportswomen across seven languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu, aimed at enhancing the presence and representation of Indian sportswomen online.
"I am delighted that the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award is returning for a second time. It is a brilliant opportunity to celebrate female athletes from across the country, and I'm pleased the BBC is leading the way in recognising their successes," said Tim Davie, the BBC's director general.
Meet the nominees
Manu Bhaker - Airgun shooting
BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year nominee Manu Bhaker shares her shooting success secrets
Dutee Chand - Athletics
BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year nominee Dutee Chand shares her intense training regime
Koneru Humpy - Chess
The female chess grandmaster who relishes beating men
Vinesh Phogat - Wrestling
Vinesh Phogat: I was told to cover my legs at training
Rani - Hockey
Rani: 'We represent a billion people when we play'
- Published8 March 2020
