Nita Ambani, Mithali Raj in Forbes Most Powerful Women In International Sports 2018 list

The real picture has been revealed by Forbes which outed its inaugural Most Powerful Women In International Sports 2018 list. And how did Forbes come up with its list? The names were culled out based on 4 metrics: 1. money (personal earnings or company revenue through sport), 2. media presence, 3. spheres of influence, and 4. social impact on sport

The best part was that there was one Indian name in the top 10 - that of Nita Ambani. Image source: Reuters

Indian sports is rising in importance with each passing year and now women in the segment are taking centre-stage. The real picture has been revealed by Forbes which outed its inaugural Most Powerful Women In International Sports 2018 list. And how did Forbes come up with its list? The names were culled out based on 4 metrics: 1. money (personal earnings or company revenue through sport), 2. media presence, 3. spheres of influence, and 4. social impact on sport. The women thereby ranged in age from 24 to 63 and came from across the world. The best part was that there was one Indian name in the top 10 - that of Nita Ambani. The other was not far from that spot either. All these women are themselves athletes or come from sports media, or even have been integral in setting up and powering teams of their own.

Forbes says, "This esteemed list represents the past, present and future of sports." Considering soccer is the most played and watched sport in the world, it is no surprise that the top positions went to women in that sport. So, first female secretary general of FIFA, Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura of Senegal tops the Forbes list. However, other sports find their representation too. Check out the list here:
1. Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura - FIFA Secretary General
2. Lydia Nsekera - FIFA Council Member, IOC
3. Florence Hardouin - UEFA Executive Committee; Director General, French Football
4. Angela Dong - Vice President, Nike China
5. Marina Granovskaia - Director, Chelsea Football Club
6. Barbara Slater - Director, BBC Sport
7. Moya Dodd - Executive Committee, Asian Footbal Confederation
8. Caroline Wozniacki - Denmark Tennis Player
9. Nita Ambani - owner Mumbai Indians
10. Claire Williams - Deputy Team Principal and Commercial Director, Williams F1
11. Aoife Brodigan - Head of Games Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Facebook
12. Mithali Raj - India cricket captain
13. Mary Davis - CEO, Special Olympics
14. Rimla Akhtar - Council Member, England FA
15. Sophie Goldschmidt - CEO, World Surf League
16. Japan Women’s Baseball League
17. Beng Choo Low - Secretary General, World Baseball Softball Confederation
18. Blanca Uribe - Deputy Executive President, Toros de Tijuana
19. Po Chun (Sophiyah) Liu - Umpire
20. Nadia Nadim - Afghanistan-Danish soccer player
21. XinYi Hua - Sports Journalist, Xin Min Evening News
22. Lieke Martens - Dutch football player
23. Sung Hyun Park - Golfer
24. Sasha Hostyn - Gamer
25. Leticia Bufoni - Skateboarder