Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh has claimed that she faced sexist behaviour from spectators at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands. She said that they focused on irrelevant aspects such as her hair, clothes, and accent during the tournament.
The 18-year-old Divya, an International Master from Nagpur, who clinched the Asian women's chess championship last year, took to social media to share her experience, highlighting the misogyny routinely encountered by women players in Wijk Aan Zee.
''I have been wanting to address this for a while but was waiting for my tournament to be over. I got told and also myself noticed how women in chess are often just taken for granted by spectators,'' Deshmukh expressed.
"My most recent example of this on a personal level would be in this tournament, I played a few games which I felt were quite good and I was proud of them. I got told by people how the audience was not even bothered with the game but instead focused on every single possible thing in the world: my clothes, hair, accent and every other irrelevant thing,'' she wrote in an Instagram post on January 28.
Deshmukh secured 12th place in the Challengers section of the Tata Steel Masters with a score of 4.5.
'EVERYTHING WAS DISCUSSED EXCEPT MY GAMES'
The teenager noted that while male players were receiving attention solely based on their performance in the game, female players were being evaluated on criteria unrelated to their skill on the chess board.
''I was quite upset to hear this and I think it is the sad truth that people when women play chess often overlook how good they actually are, the games they play and their strength,'' she said.
''I was quite disappointed to see how everything was discussed in my interviews (by the audience) except my games, very few people paid attention to it and it is quite a sad thing.
''I felt it was unfair in a way because if I go to any guy's interview there would be way less judgement on a personal level, actual compliments about the game and the player,'' Deshmukh asserted.
Despite advancements in women's sports regarding pay scale, female athletes continue to face sexist behaviour and frequently encounter inquiries about their attire. Deshmukh remarked that women players are generally undervalued and frequently experience animosity.
''...every irrelevant thing is focused on and hated on while guys would probably get away with the same things. I think women face this on a daily basis and I'm barely 18.
''I have faced so much judgement including hatred over the years for things that don't even matter. I think women should start getting equal respect,'' International chess player concluded.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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