I recently witnessed for the first time in my life how a sports competition is organized in Karnataka. Coming from a state that is as crazy about sports as Goa, I found the organization appalling. To say things were done half-heartedly would be an understatement. I found things done heartlessly. The block level competitions were primarily track and field along with kho-kho, kabbadi, volleyball and throw ball.
Other sports were fairly well organized, but track and field events took a hit. First of all, the land was poorly planned. Track and field events take pride in accurate marking, accurate measurements and time keeping. But here they clearly relied on majority judgment and a “get over it” attitude. Favoritism and prejudice spread until more employees began making their presence felt in the field. Physical education teachers, most of whom are male, hardly respond to the questions and objections of the physical education teachers who accompany the girls of the school of which I am a part.
The starting and finishing line was not clearly defined and the number of runs that the participants had to do in the various sprint events and distance running events was adjusted according to the general situation of the participants. There was no professionalism in the organization and I wonder what the students learn and what they take away from such events. It is a known fact that physical education teachers, who are also the main organizers, are sympathetic and fond of their school and the schools they have friends with. I do not think it is at all appropriate for physical education teachers to organize or much less supervise events in which their school participates. Although they may be impartial, it would be best if they did not participate just to avoid any possibility of favoritism and bias.
On the part of the participating students, the spirit of sportsmanship or sportsmanship was almost absent. It seems that the vast majority have only come to skip school. It was clear that no pre-screening of the participants had been done. Many never knew the rules of the events they were participating in and the physical education teachers would explain them literally on the field. This also does not speak well of both students and teachers. Overall, girls did significantly worse than boys in track and field. Causes and effects leave plenty of room for reflection and follow-up.
Watching this big “joke” moves my mind. What is the level of sports in our country? It is evident from the ongoing Olympic Games. Countries much smaller than India have already opened their medal accounts while we are still waiting for our first piece of silver. If sports at grassroots levels will continue to be played at a non-professional level, how will young people develop a sense of sportsmanship and sportsmanship? Sport in India leaves much to be desired. High-profile athletes have spoken out against the superficial treatment of sports, but hardly anyone at the top levels listens to them. If India is to become a global powerhouse in sports, cash must become secondary and sports must come first. Love for the game should once again replace love for money. Frivolity and platitudes must be put aside, and genuine efforts must be made to improve the situation, otherwise the status quo will, in the long run, drive the game out of the sport and leave it in an empty state to be blown up when one’s pockets run dry.