Athletics Federation Gets Slammed For Focusing On Hima Das’ English, ‘Clarification’ Follows

Hima Das is our golden girl right now, for making history by becoming the first Indian ever to win a track gold medal at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships.

Oodles of congratulatory messages and praise have been pouring in for the 18-year-old who made India proud as she emerged victorious in the women’s 400m race on Thursday, in Tampere, Finland.

Believe me when I say this, watching Hima conquer those final 80m is a sight that will forever be etched in your memory!

But amidst all this joy and pride, there was one tiny chink in the celebratory armour. And this one was all the Athletics Federation of India’s doing. What did they do? Well, why don’t you read their below tweet and find out….

“Not so fluent in English but she gave her best there too.”

If you thought, “Okay but why were Hima Das’ English speaking skills so important to talk about here?” you are not alone.

Twitter was FURIOUS that the official account of the AFI, for whom Hima Das was one of their own, would put her down like this.

Was it really necessary to mention that in the tweet? Couldn’t they have just written, “Congratulations, proud of you!” instead, and be done with it?

Imagine on a momentous occasion like this, a fellow athlete was forced to put out such a tweet….

And she’s right, isn’t she?

She wasn’t the only one outraged. From politicians, to singers, to actors, writers and even the common man, everyone echoed the sentiment.

She kicks ass where needed. That’s important!

Yes. NOT an English exam!

The amazing irony in this situation was that the AFI’s own tweet had a spelling error!

Did you send a translator with her then?

It’s the colonial mindset talking.

‘Speking’ here was not needed, you guys.

Have you seen any other country put down their sportsmen like this? Then why are wed so obsessed with speaking English?

Hima Das is a winner. But guess who’s the loser here?

Class in session and AFI getting schooled.

Self-ridicule at its finest.

Yep, we’ve all read this:  Never make fun of someone’s broken English. It means they know another language.

Kaafi anti-climax, no?

Okay, people. After the official blunder, it is now time for the official clarification-cum-apology. Yes, there was another follow up tweet in which the AFI explained that it was actually trying to give a compliment.

Failing miserably at it, but okay.

Alright then!

However, despite clarifications issued and misunderstandings cleared, the outrage didn’t exactly get quelled.

Phew! That was a lesson.

But amidst all this outrage and explanation, this one tweet just stood out for me. The biggest irony, that proves how conveniently we change sides in a debate.

https://twitter.com/PUNchayatii/status/1017645992655482880

Food for thought!

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