Sports is not only an activity of recreation or physical training, requiring a high fitness level and exceptional skill, but is also a vibe that arises out of fervor – a fervor for your nation.
By Vaibhav Somani,
Commonwealth Games 2022 held in July-August has shone a different set of lights on the Indian sporting field with Indian sportsperson winning 22 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze medals. With 61 medals in total, India stood at 4th position amongst all the participating countries in the tally of medals. Many new stars were born and many new stars got their due recognition in their respective field of sports, glorifying India’s name far and wide.
Sports is not only an activity of recreation or physical training, requiring a high fitness level and exceptional skill, but is also a vibe that arises out of fervor – a fervor for your nation. Since sportsplays such an important role in the mental, physical, and psychicdevelopment of an individual, building of sportsmanship should be taken seriously as a part of a nation-building exercise.
chools are rightly called hallowed grounds as they give a child all-inclusive growth. Now that we read this article as a grown-up, we realize why PT (personal training) used to be such strict sessions in our schools. Why there used to be little sports houses (Mine was named The Sunflower House!) and why our teachers pushed us to participate in annual sports events and interschool championships, and all this is coming oh-so clear now. Till date, schools, colleges, and other educational institutions have laid great importance on physical education and activities. Spreading health awareness has also proved to be a positive catalyst in the sports and fitness equipment sector.
India no longer slugging in the world race
In India, sadly still, a large number of sports are yet to be explored, and an even larger number of extraordinary talents are yet to be discovered. This is because the focus of training our budding sports stars is more on cutting corners. But Indian athletes seem to have had enough. They have decided not to fall behind in the global race. Cutting away from overshadowing sports like cricket, they are edifying themselves on other types of sports that have long found recognition worldwide.
Indian athletes have shone brighter in three out of four Olympics of the recent past. At the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Haryana’s Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a gold medal for India in javelin throw. A lot of Indian audience would have not known that India can produce great stars in a sports like javelin. The weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, the wrestler R K Dahiya, and the badminton player P V Sindhu also waved the Indian flag winning two silvers and one bronze, respectively, at the event.
Indian sports ambit is expanding. More and more athleteshave lefta mark in almost every big sports occasion of late. Man or woman, records are being constantly broken, new stars are rising, making our countryproud and hopeful about becoming a dreamland for any kind of sports lover in the future.
How does good sportsmanship occur?
Sportsmanship instils ethics and values that get displayed on the field in the form of fair play and show of respect between the rival sides.
Good sportsmanship is not only in the hands of the players. Coaches, officials, the teams involved, as well as the extras, they are all responsible behind a game ending on a good score. Consideration for the other team’s weaknesses and sudden mishaps and playing the game within the decorum of respect and constructive criticism is all what defines healthy sportsmanship.
Good sportsmanship also occurs when there is mutual and equal exchange of respect between the people playing and the people watching.
It pays in the long run cultivating and propelling enthusiasm in children towards the sports of their choice. Sports is an effective way to generate lifelong values and discipline in them while also providing fun and fitness opportunities. Some of the values that sports develop in children are as follows:
· Patience and empathy from working in a team
· Confidence of undertaking challenges as an activity of amusement
· Fair-mindedness in face of mocking or difficult situations
· Building of jolly attitude
· Better control on emotions
· Heightened nationalistic spirit
· Constructive pride in achievements
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How can we work on the sportsmanship status of India?
As per a recent survey around the public masses, the following has been drawn out:
· There should be more sports facilitiesin the other states and not justin the major developed areas.
· Schools and districts need to run campaigns to enthuse kids towards sports participation.
· Sports teachers and coaches jobs need to increase in number with better pay and perquisites so that more people are motivated to apply in the line of sports.
· Interschool- and interstate-level competitions need to be held more frequently.
· There should be a separate grading system and sponsorships for the students excelling at sports.
“Games give you a chance to excel, and if you’re playing in good company you don’t even mind if you lose because you had the enjoyment of the company during the course of the game.” These words were so well put by Gary Gygax – the co-founder of the world’s very first roleplaying game (Dungeons & Dragons). Gary, in a way, inspired the world to come together and be a sport. Sports development is an essetntial force in nation building and focussing on grass-root levels as sports defines the character of a nation.