Shaima

Diya Siddique, a 17 years old clinched silver in the Archery World Cup this year to create history for Bangladesh. She shares her thoughts on women's progress in sport with The Daily Star's Ashfaq Ul Mushfiq. On asking various questions by the reporter she says the standard of women's sports in Bangladesh has gradually improved over the years. Diya believes this is a very positive sign given that women lag behind men in terms of sports. There were times when performance didn't go well and a lot of pessimistic talks followed. Bangladesh's girls possess ample spirit that enables them to achieve anything, says Diya. They are determined to do well for their country, their families, and for themselves. It's very possible to sustain success for a long time, but only if we get a proper safety net, she adds. Archers play for different agencies, and as far as she knows, both men and women get equal pay based on their ranks. All archers do get some remuneration every month, but it's more akin to pocket money for buying soaps and shampoo. In archery, until a player has reached a good level, they need to receive financial support from family.