What It Takes To Be A Female Emcee At World Cups And Across Sports

I have been emceeing now for more than a decade, primarily compering and anchoring corporate and wedding events. However, compared to that sports-based events are a completely different ball game and involve a lot more work and preparation.

My decade-old experience as a female emcee in a largely male-dominated world of sports has been challenging and empowering in more ways than one.

Though I was a Kabbadi player and long-distance athlete in school, Football and Cricket have been novel experiences. Traditionally perceived as a gentlemen’s game, the hardest task for me was to convince myself that I could hold fort and host sports with equal aplomb and gusto as my male colleagues.

Female Emcees In Sports

I had to first sell 'ME' to myself.

I began my preparation by speaking to many close friends who were into football and taking copious notes from them. I recall a male friend telling me, "Lincia, just wear sexy clothes and you will be good on the ground. People will look at you, they won’t care about what you're talking about."

His remarks were sexist and I wondered if that was how people would perceive me.  I didn’t want to be just a pretty face, I wanted to be known as a woman of substance. So, I decided to study the game, read up extensively about players, get into the art of making quick link scripts, and watch many male and female sports anchors. When in Spain, I spent a bomb and went for the FC Barca v/s Bayern Munich match at the Camp Nou Stadium despite having a hard time getting the tickets, just to get the vibe of football.

"I put my heart and soul into learning the games, and it wasn’t easy."

Hosting the FIFA WC in Qatar

I was in Qatar hosting FIFA for a month and a half. When FIFA was over I was presented with a limited edition FIFA Commemorative Banknote by the Supreme Committee of Qatar. Once back in India, I met the same male friend who said: "Lincia, I am so proud of you, for representing India at FIFA in Qatar".

And I teased him on the "sexy clothes" bit - that I didn’t flaunt any of my assets since I had to respect the culture of Qatar, and so nobody got a peek-a-boo. His head sank and he apologised for what he had said. The best way to get back at people is your success. You do what you do and pay a deaf ear to what people say. I encourage women who want to get into sports to own their space.

An anecdote that affected my professional journey the most

I auditioned for Star Sports ten years ago, for the Pro Kabaddi League. Raw, shy and underconfident, when I got a call for the audition, I wanted to chicken out. Somehow, I mustered courage and gave the audition. To my shock, I was selected to get trained at the channel. I was in a batch of stalwarts, great presenters like Suhail Chandok and Karan Ambardar, who are currently leading sports presenters. Looking at all of them, I felt underconfident. I thought I won’t be able to make it but that didn’t stop me.

I didn’t get selected for Pro Kabbadi League. However, I did get a lot of exposure in that workshop. I was disheartened that I didn’t make it. Thereafter, I hired the best coaches to work on my pronunciation, voice, accent and styling. I travelled across the globe to be trained by the best in the world. From an under-confident girl, I metamorphosed into a public speaker who won the Best Corporate and Wedding Emcee Award by Business World, having hosted more than 1000 plus shows to date.

I didn’t crack the Kabbadi League then, but exactly 10 years later with sheer hard work, commitment and persistence, I hosted one of the world's greatest sports tournaments – The FIFA World Cup.

My experience in Qatar

I feel blessed and grateful for the opportunity, as I loved working with different nationalities and experiencing the massive fandom of the game. The cheering voices and beaming faces displayed across the stadium's screens and the camaraderie between people of all backgrounds.

It felt like this World Cup was the year of the underdogs. Qatar was the first Arab nation to host the biggest sporting event in the world –  the FIFA World Cup 2022, Morocco became the first Afro-Asian nation to reach the semi-finals. So many endearing moments. The emergence of new role models, especially those who have overcome socioeconomic barriers. Nothing can beat the shock that comes with the triumph of the underdog.

What does it take to do such a challenging job?

&t=72s">Women in sports are now acing every role they're choosing, however, the challenges are plenty. What does it take to surpass challenges? Well, Oodles of patience, grit and a calm demeanour under high pressure. One must be able to develop story ideas and get names right, especially the international ones even if it’s last minute. One mispronunciation on stage and one will be lampooned. There is no compensation for hard work.

The ability to improvise is paramount, while continuously working on maintaining and growing your relevance and influence, in a sector that changes at a lightning speed.

"One may not understand why things don’t work out sometimes, but if you invest in your craft, and continue to work towards your goal, nothing can stop you from being the best."

Suggested reading: Sexism In World Cup No More, Women Commentators Standout