Bengaluru: Breaking societal barriers, two queer athletes from Bengaluru returned from Spain with eight medals between them after representing India at the recently concluded International Gay Games in Valencia.Gowthami Kandhasami, 26, and Sumit Pawar, 35, competed in various athletic events at the games, organised by the Federation of Gay Games to celebrate sports and culture, with a focus on LGBTQIA+ identities and allies. Three resident Indians participated in the tournament.Gowthami, who goes by the nickname Goaty, won four gold medals in the women’s 25-29 age category — in high jump, 5km run, 10km indoor run, and marathon. She also won silver medals in the 10km run, overall women’s marathon, and mixed 4x400m.
Gowthami Kandhasami, (Goaty) earned four Gold medals in High Jump, 5km Run, 10m Indoor Run and Marathon in the Women’s 25–29 category and two Silver medals 10K Run in the Women’s 25–29category, Overall Women’s Marathon, and as part of the Mixed 4×400mRelay team.
“I always considered myself as a weak athlete physically since I was very young. I wasn’t the one who won a lot, but the one who always participated,” Goaty said at a felicitation event organised by All India Professionals’ Congress in Shantinagar here Thursday.Born and brought up in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Goaty moved to Bengaluru for her master’s degree. After relocating to the city during lockdown, she joined Bengaluru Frontrunners, a community for LGBTQIA+ runners and walkers.“I’ve been running with Bengaluru Frontrunners since 2021, which changed how I felt inside my body. We all might be able to relate to how disconnected we feel with our bodies as queer people. So every time I finished a race or a run, the connection that I felt with the body was positive,” she said.A Thalaghattapura resident, Goaty balanced her job as a school teacher with training. She said queer athletes face the same challenges as other athletes, while also dealing with additional barriers.“Both of us got a scholarship from the organisers and the runners club in India to participate in the games. Otherwise, it would not have been possible. This time, only three Indian resident athletes were there. Next year, we want to improve the numbers,” she added.Pawar, a Rajasthan native who works at Bengaluru’s Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), won gold in javelin throw. He said moving to Bengaluru three years ago gave him an opportunity to engage with the queer sporting community.“In India, we never think about sports as a profession, and even those who make it a profession do so because of some kind of privilege. When I moved to Bengaluru three years ago, that was the first time I could start running around with the queer community,” he said.
Sumit Pawar, brought further glory to India by winning the GoldMedal in the Javelin Throw. .
Pawar, a resident of Cambridge Layout in Ulsoor, said the sporting community’s focus on male and female categories often excludes those who identify as neither.Representing the country was among the best moments of his life. “There was an opening ceremony and we entered the stadium with the Indian flag. That day, I was not from the queer community. I was an athlete representing India,” he said.
Sumit Pawar, brought further glory to India by winning the GoldMedal in the Javelin Throw. .
The athletes said queer sportspersons continue to face discrimination in sports and society. Pawar cited former Indian sprinter Dutee Chand, who faced backlash in her home village after coming out as lesbian. “We’re only asking for a proper space for us to train and perform. The state govt needs to explore options for athletes in categories outside the male and female binary. Even if people don’t want to talk to us, that’s fine, but they should provide us the opportunity to train and participate,” Pawar appealed.
