JOIN USIt was an exciting morning for the hundreds of students, who eagerly gathered at Kanteerva Stadium recently to take part in ‘Respect 2013’.
This nationwide sporting event for schools was conducted by SportsMentor and the Association of Schools for Indian School Certificate (ASISC).
The event brought together 4,300 students from 110 schools. They participated in eight different sports, which included athletics, volleyball, football, basketball, cricket, hockey, tennis and swimming. The event was inaugurated by Unmukt Chand, Indian cricketer and captain of the 2012 India U-19.
“It’s good to see sports being promoted and the ICSE board taking a huge leap to incorporate this into the curriculum. I hope the participants of this event look at it as more than a game and an experience they are proud to be part of,” he said. Former athlete Ashwini Nachappa encouraged the students to participate with enthusiasm.
“It’s not about winning the gold medal, it’s about participating,” she said.
Gayethri Devi, secretary and treasurer of Karnataka ICSE State Association (KISA), told the students to make use of the opportunity in hand.
“This is a platform for budding athletes to prove that they have potential. It is important that this platform is taken seriously because not everyone gets an opportunity like this,” she said.
S Ramakrishna, managing director of SportsMentor, said, “Sports is an integral development programme that transcends learning, teamwork and discipline. We are looking forward to an eventful championship, which could be the launch platform for budding sportsmen."
The eager students, whom Metrolife interacted with, have ben practising hard for the event.
“I have been taking part in sports events for the last three years. I have won the ‘best athlete’ award at school. I am looking forward to moving to the national level and am confident that I will be able to make it,” said Joshna Anna John, a high school student of HAL Gynajyoti School, who was taking part in the 200-metre race.
Rohan Savakar, a class eight student, who was taking part in the 800-metre race, said that he is really looking at being at the top.
“I have been practising for the last three weeks. I have been into sports for the last
three years,” he said.
Rachna H, another participant, added that she was both excited and nervous at the same time. “There has been a lot of anticipation for this event for the last four to five weeks,” said the student.
‘Respect 2013’ will take place from July to November this year across 11 regions. More than 25,000 students from 2,500 schools are expected to take part in the events.