CHENNAI: The Jawaharlal Nehru Outdoor Stadium, well associated with applause and hoarse cheers of encouragement, this time reverberated with a different sound — of high-pitched screams of excited schoolgirls, and more awkward squawks from boys whose voices had not quite acquired the manly baritone that comes with age.

They were participating in the Rotary Chennai Olympiad-2006, the sixth year of the inter school event.

This year's turnout was phenomenal with over 4,000 students from 300 schools from five districts participating in the track and field events.

"Heartening"

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) member C.K. Valsan, who helped organise the Olympiad, said it was heartening that the number of participants had increased considerably this year.

"Motivate participation"

"There is no mass participation in our country so it is difficult to scout for talent. It is important for parents and teachers to motivate children to participate; if 8,000 children participate, then the chances increase of at least one making it as an Olympic or world level champion," he explained. The Olympiad was an excellent opportunity for student athletes as they got to participate in events held on the synthetic track and later on in the day, under the intoxicating floodlights, Mr. Valsan pointed out.

The three-day event came to an end on Sunday, where Air Officer Commodore G.R. Prasad was the chief guest.

The best athletes from each category will be sponsored by Rotary International for their training. The following were the overall winners:

Junior Girls: A. Manjuka, Karnataka Sangam School

Junior Boys: M. Jeffrey, SBOA Junior College

Senior Girls: P. Janet Shiny, Grace Matriculation School

Senior Boys: R.J. Rajesh Sharma, SBOA Junior College

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