Rishita Dang, a resident of Karnal and a postgraduate student of Economics and Analytics at Christ University, Delhi NCR, has won the Best Paper Presentation Award at the 12th World Conference on Women’s Studies (WCWS 2026) held in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Her award-winning presentation, titled “Breaking Barriers on Body: Lived Experiences of Women Athletes Navigating Gendered Constraints in Developing Contexts”, examined the everyday challenges faced by women athletes in resource-constrained and male-dominated sporting environments.
Drawing on her experience as an international taekwondo athlete, Rishita combined personal narratives with feminist and sports studies perspectives to explore how gender norms, institutional authority, bodily regulation and vulnerability shape women’s experiences in sport.
Her research highlighted embodied responses such as silence, self-surveillance and perseverance as strategies adopted by women athletes to navigate marginalising systems. She argued that recognising these lived experiences is essential for addressing persistent gender inequalities and transforming the male-dominated culture of sport.
Faculty members and fellow students at Christ University congratulated Rishita on the international recognition, describing the achievement as a matter of pride for the institution.
Last year, Rishita represented India in taekwondo at the FISU World University Games held in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.
Her ability to integrate academic research with first-hand sporting experience has earned widespread appreciation, with her work contributing to the growing discourse on gender equity and inclusion in sports.