Using descriptive phenomenology to explore the lived experiences of elite Indian female athletes
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Date
2024-08
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Despite the popularity of sports in India, female athletes have had to battle tooth and nail to establish a room for themselves and obtain the opportunity to compete (Arora, 2023). The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of Indian female tennis players on tour using descriptive phenomenology and semi-structured interviews. Six participants contributed insights, which were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step approach. The analysis revealed four key themes: the expectations of women, travel costs, emotional burnout, and preferred characteristics. The findings highlight fundamental challenges within the Indian sports system, including insufficient support infrastructure, a lack of transparency, and inefficient accountability. This study focuses on the mental health challenges that athletes endure, filling a gap in previous studies.