Photo credit: Antonio Alvarez
In the framework of the Summer Olympic Games 2024, the GAP Women Partnership seeks to promote the female athletes’ careers and challenges they faced in order to inspire future generations.
This interview was done with Galia Dvorak, a former professional table tennis Spanish player. She has participated in 4 Olympic Games from Beijing to Tokyo. After twenty years of career in the Spanish national team, she has recently retired in 2022.
How did your passion for table tennis start and how did it lead to starting a career?
My parents were both former table tennis players. They were members of the national team in the Soviet Union. When they moved to Spain, I was 2 years old. As they knew table tennis, they encouraged me to play. I started training at the age of 6 and quickly progressed to the professional level.
Did you have a female role model when you started table tennis?
My mom was my role model and I tried to follow in her steps. But to be honest, I didn’t have so many female role models because table tennis is very masculine. So, my role models were mostly men.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in the world of sport?
Photo credit: Mike Ehrmann Getty Images
Financial support
When I started playing table tennis, there weren’t many female professional players who could earn a living this way or participate in the Olympic Games. For me, a career in this field was almost unthinkable.
To play sport professionally you need economic support. In table tennis, most of the support comes from institutional level (public funding) and some from private companies.
For male players, it’s easier because they also get a lot of support from clubs, and from private sponsors.
On my side, I always felt supported, but it always came after the results. Women get some support if they play very well in this field, but it’s sometimes ten times less than men. For example, I have female colleagues that were good players but because they were not at the top, they didn’t have the chance to continue their careers. However, I had male colleagues that didn’t have these results, but they could continue practicing because they had a lot of help from their clubs.
Maternity
Also, one of the reasons I stopped competing professionally was that I wanted to concentrate on my personal life. As women, if you want to have children, you stop competing for two years, which is not the case for men.
Masculine environment
Also, table tennis is a very masculine sport and as a woman, you must be very strong to stand up for yourself and let’s say “survive” in this environment. Fortunately, society is evolving. It has become easier for women to pursue a career in table tennis.
Have you had more male coaches than females and do you think it affects how women are trained?
Yes, besides my mom and the coach I had in the latest stage of my career, all my coaches were men. Some of those coaches were not used to work with women. It affects you in many ways, because how women play is not exactly the same as how men play, and also in a personal aspect for me. For example, when you have your period, you can feel bad. Coaches are learning about these aspects, but sometimes belatedly.
What message and advice would you give to the next generation, particularly to women and girls in sport?
The future of women in sport is bright, it’s getting better and better. We can look for example at the Olympics now in Paris: it’s the first time that it’s equal, 50/50 in participation.
Here, in Spain, I think it’s a good time do sport as a woman, because we are living in a moment of visibilities and the possibilities are exploding. The medias are starting to speak about women sports. We have the example of female football. Now, there are some very popular women in sport.
The advice I’d give to women is to do sport or continue doing sport even if it’s difficult or if it takes time. Doing sport at any level brings you confidence and skills that you can use later in every aspect of your life. And it is good (healthy) for you! Sport is a very powerful tool.
I would tell the new generation of female to try using their power to combat stereotypes. ¨For my part, I use my power to push things forward and make them better. The situation is changing and improving in my sport and in all other sports, even if it is a slow change.
When you talk about confidence and skills, what has table tennis brought you?
Discipline, resilience, perseverance
When you play sport professionally, you need to train with a lot of discipline and deal with stressful moments. Sport also gives you a lot of resilience: you have to learn to overcome defeats, even if you are at the top, and keep going. Also, it helps to think strategically because all the time you are trying to find solutions to problems that you encounter
For me, it is not something that only professional sports give you. Going for a run, playing paddle with your friends …, help you to be better in your personal life or professional life.
What is your motto as a table tennis player to stay focused on your goal, on your sport?
I’m a very competitive person. The satisfaction of winning and achieving my sporting goals is what kept me going.
Would you like to add something else about your career, about gender equality in the sport?
One of the complicated things about my career is the loneliness sometimes. I used to play an individual and masculine sport. Today, I support young athletes by accompanying them to training sessions and sometimes coaching them. The more women there are in sport, the easier access will be for the future generations. We are part of the change.
