Bengaluru, Mar 15 (UNI) Former India captain Virat Kohli on Saturday emphasised the role of women athletes as the driving force behind the transformation of women's sports in the country, noting that their self-driven efforts led to increased commercial growth, funding, and the eventual establishment of the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit, powered by Leaders, Kohli reflected on the changing landscape of women’s sports. "Women athletes were their own catalysts, driving attention to themselves, which led to commercial growth, increased funding, and ultimately, the creation of the WPL," he stated.

Kohli stressed the need for a collective approach towards sports development, asserting that women’s sports play a crucial role in this ecosystem. "Looking at men for the improvement of sport in any country, it has to be a collective. Sports culture includes everyone, and women's sport is a massive part of it."

"We have so much data in women's sports, not just cricket but all the others. We are creating individual activities over the year in tennis, badminton, wrestling, boxing. So, I think it's definitely heading in the right direction and it needs more backing and more and more infrastructure to be developed," he added.

He highlighted how the success of women athletes in various disciplines has drawn increased engagement, leading to better financial investment and structural progress in women’s sports.

The summit, which brought together prominent figures from the Indian sports fraternity, focused on various facets of sports development, with special emphasis on the growth of women's sports in the country.

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