Shruti Daga: Inspiring India's Next Generation of Female Athletes

At only 25 years old, Shruti Daga has already made a tremendous impact as both an athlete and sports management professional in India. In a recent interview with SportsBoom, Daga discussed her athletic career, goals to empower women in sports, and pathway to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Daga's passion for sports started early, competing nationally in track from age 12. She went on to star for her college teams in athletics and football:
“I think sports became such important part of my life where I realised that, you know, it's just not about playing, I think that could be further more to it. And then I decided that okay, you know, I could make a career in the management side."

Seeing an opportunity to give back and affect change, Daga pivoted into sports management, and has her eyes set on the bigger picture for India. 

As a woman forging her career in sports, Daga admitted “it's not been an easy journey.” She highlighted ingrained cultural biases, saying her family pushed her toward business over sports.

“I think it took a very, very long time for everyone to understand that, okay, you know, a woman can make a career out of sports."

But Daga persisted, determined to follow her passion and leave a legacy:

“It’s just initially about believing in yourself, understanding where you're coming from, understanding what you really want from life and what you really wanna give back to the sport."

Now pursuing her master's degree in the UK, Daga aims to inspire young women entering sports back home:

“I've been invited by my university to give master classes to students in regards to understanding …what sort of a career path can students make or,…what are the changes that we really need to bring in India, in regards to sports. So that's been, that's been like a.. motivational journey at the same time.”

Though progress has been slow, Daga is optimistic that attitudes are shifting, providing more opportunities for female athletes.