In a recent virtual TED Talk, Zainab Abbas revealed about the challenges she had to face for choosing a male dominant field in Pakistan. In recorded session labelled as ‘The missing sportsmanship in sports’, Zainab said becoming famous sports host was not easy as she spoke about her journey.
The virtual event tells the journey of popular stars and highlights women working in sports. The 32-year-old television host said that she had always been fond of sports specially cricket.
"The idea of sportsmanship stems from the fact that sport is generally an equaliser, independent of gender, race, or skin color. It focuses on your talent, skills, strength, and above all, merit," Zainab stated.
“I did not have a mentor, I was not a TV buff and I was just following my dream and passion. When I did enter the field, there were a lot of people who made fun of me because they believed that a woman cannot be talking about sports,” she added.
“Focus is the one thing that kept me going even in times of adversity. There was also a time when some of the cricketing legends that I looked up to, refused to give me an interview due to my gender.” She revealed.
“I think the world was just not prepared. They were not used to seeing a woman taking the lead in this field that has been helmed and represented by men for so many years,” sports host concluded.
