Indian Athlete faces Transgender Claims from Jealous Rival
Nandini Agasara was seemingly accused of being transgender by a fellow Indian athlete after narrowly missing out on a podium spot.
Nandini Agasara is facing claims that she is transgender from a fellow Indian athlete.
The 20-year-old won the bronze medal at the Asian Games in the women’s heptathlon.
However, her victory was overshadowed by Swapna Barman, who narrowly missed out on a podium position while also seemingly accusing Nandini of being transgender.
In a now-deleted post, Swapna wrote:
“I have lost my Asian Games bronze medal to transgender women at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.”
Nandini’s parents slammed the claims and maintained that she was born female and has remained so throughout her life.
Her father Yallappa said: “I don’t understand why anybody would say that Nandini is transgender.
“She is 100% a woman, and that’s the end of the matter. Anybody questioning her gender is speaking rubbish.
“We are very proud of her sporting achievements and this allegation is just about her rivals being jealous.
“We are only focusing on the positive and are celebrating her medal. We are very proud of our girl and what she’s achieved.”
Her mother Ayyamma said: “We don’t have time for such nonsense about Nandini being transgender.
“I don’t understand why people would say such things. It’s a huge thing what she’s achieved, and we are just focused on that.
“It’s very sad that people are saying such things because life for all of us has been a struggle and this is getting overlooked by this allegation.”
Yallappa said his daughter inherited her muscular physique from him.
She was also physically strong because of the family’s poor background, resulting in her having to work from an early age to help make ends meet.
Yallappa runs a tea shop in Hyderabad, earning around £120 per month while his wife is a housemaid, earning around £300 per month.
The couple live in a small, one-bedroom house in a poor part of the city with Nandini and her two brothers.
Yallappa said: “We are from a very poor family and life has always been very hard for us.
“Since she was a child, Nandini has been working alongside her mother as a maid, lifting heavy things, washing clothes and doing a lot of physical work. It’s made her big and strong.
“I’m also quite muscular and big and she’s inherited those genes from me. But she’s still a woman, she looks like a woman and the world knows that she’s a woman.”
Nandini said: “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. You shouldn’t judge a person by their looks.
“I played with dolls when I was a girl and I wear sarees and other traditional Indian female clothes when I attend weddings or religious occasions.
“I am tall and strong compared to many women but that’s because of all the physical work that I’ve had to do throughout my life to help my family.
“When poor people achieve anything then there is always a lot of jealousy, and somebody will try to pull you down.”
“That’s what this allegation is all about but I’m not focusing on it too much.”
Detailing her poor background, Nandini explained:
“I used to go to bed on an empty stomach and we could go two or three days without eating. People don’t realise the struggles that our whole family has gone through.
“I come from nothing and to go and win a medal at a major international sporting event is no small matter.”
Nandini revealed that even whilst training, she was still working alongside her mother as a maid and that this would continue.
She added: “My mother and father have been working since they were aged 10 and I’ve inherited my hard work ethic from them. Just because I’ve got a bronze medal now, that won’t change.
“When you’ve lived my life and had to do a lot of physical work because of poverty, it makes you big and strong. It doesn’t mean you’re any less a woman.”
The bronze at the Asian Games is her second international medal, having taken home a silver medal in the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2022.
The row comes amid global backlash against transgender athletes, as governing bodies across the world ban them from competing as the genders they identify with.
Courtesy : Desiblitz
Note: This news piece was originally published in desiblitz.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Right