Asian Games: Swapna Barman’s 'transgender' comment on teammate leaves sour note

While Indian athletes have been making headlines at the ongoing Asian Games for all the right reasons, there was a discordant note in the camp on Monday, 2 October. Swapna Barman — a gold medallist in the 2018 heptathlon — made a shocking allegation that she had lost her (bronze) medal to a ‘transgender woman’, and later deleted the post. 

A day after the loss on Sunday, Barman took social media by storm, alleging that she had lost the medal to a transgender athlete. ‘’I have lost my Asian Games bronze medal to a transgender woman at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. I want my medal back as it is against the rules of our athletics. Help me and support me please. #protestforfairplay,’’ she had posted.  

Even though Barman did not name anyone, it was obvious that her insinuation was against compatriot Nandini Agasara, as the latter had a podium finish with bronze in the demanding event.

Speaking to India Today, Nandini countered: ‘’I know what I am. Ask her to show proof. I will also show that I have won the medal for India. I only want to do well for the country. Now we have won, so people have started talking about it. I will take up this issue with AFI (Athletics Federation of India) for sure. I wanted to enjoy the moment of winning the medal, but I'm going back to India as my mother is not well,’’ said Nandini.

The 20-year-old from Telangana, for whom this was her first seniors event, finished above Barman by a four-point margin at 5712. ‘’This is my first international competition in the senior category and I got a medal, last time I participated in the junior category... I never thought that I would be getting a medal in such a big competition,’’ Nandini said after her win.  

The 27-year-old Barman, who was on the verge of retiring from the sport owing to a spinal injury, relocated from her home state of Bengal to Gujarat, which she now represents at national meets. She decided to give Hangzhou a last try to defend her crown, but narrowly missed out on back-to-back medals. 

At a time when the sporting community is trying to chart a roadmap for transgender athletes and the parameters of such classification is a subject of protracted debate, Burman’s comments about a junior teammate and later deleting it seems an ill-advised move.