The Hindu : Sport : Kerala School Games from today

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Friday, Nov 30, 2007
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Kerala School Games from today

Special Correspondent

KOTTAYAM: The 51st Kerala School Games will get underway here on Friday, bringing once again to the fore the sporting talent of over 5,000 school children drawn from all the 14 districts of the State.

The mammoth exercise featuring competitions in team disciplines over the first three days of the six-day event and athletics from December 3 to 5, as usual, has generated much enthusiasm especially as the Games are returning to Kottayam after a gap of six years. Consequently, the organisers too have left no stone unturned to provide the best of facilities to the young participants, who undoubtedly are to turn the flag-bearers of the State in the National sports scene during the coming years.

The Games, in that sense, has remained a litmus test for many over the years, not only for the physical education teachers, coaches and the talented children, but also for media itself in its attempt to highlight every notable achievement made on the field across to thousands of homes all over the State.

In Palakkad last year, it was Thiruvananthapuram which held sway over the team disciplines for a fourth consecutive year.

Anxious moments

But the champion district, before retaining the overall championship trophy, had to undergo several anxious moments as it took quite a few unexpected knocks in the under-17 section and had to depend heavily on its under-19 teams to come through unscathed.

So the big question for which an answer is certain to be searched over the first three days of the competitions could well be on Thiruvananthapuram’s capability to lift the overall championship trophy for a fifth consecutive year, once again defying the claims of districts like Palakkad, Thrissur and Kottayam.

The Games, like in the previous years, will commence with competitions in the under-17 section on the first day and that of the under-19 division on the second day.

Changes in schedule

The Games’ schedule too sports a little change as competitions will be held in hockey, kho-kho, basketball, handball, chess, volleyball, badminton, ball badminton, kabaddi, table tennis and tennis for both boys and girls in the two age-groups, while football and cricket will see only the boys in action.

Though the formal inauguration of the Games would be held only on the opening day of the athletic events (December 3), the team disciplines will be put on board on Friday with the Director of Public Instruction, M. Shivashankar, hoisting the Games flag at the Nehru Stadium – the main venue for the Games – at 8.30 a.m. in the presence of a host of dignitaries.

The competitions will thereafter get underway across nine venues in the town.

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