If
you can Play Chess, then you must know how to be Usain Bolt!
Do we,
as Indians, understand sports as only a physical activity?
Do we
expect all our sportspersons to be athletic champions and marathon racers?
If
you are asking these questions on the corridors of Delhi University (DU), the
answer is a thumping affirmative.
As
ridiculous as it may sound, recently, a 17 year old Delhi girl, Chetna Karnani,
who has been seeking admission under the sports quota of Delhi University (DU),
as a chess player has moved Delhi High Court after being denied a seat because
she couldn’t clear a recently-instituted physical fitness test mandated by
DU.
The
physical test required her to run a distance of 1 km in 6 minutes or 50 meters
in 9 seconds. Given that the game of chess requires the players to utilize
their brain-power and intelligence more so than any physical stamina, the
prerequisite surely baffled the young girl, who has taken this matter to the
court of law for justice.
On
this note, what are we expecting from generation next? Universities and educational bodies that
decide on quotas and candidature for seats need to advocate better sensibility
in judging criteria and directives laid out for various sportspersons.
The
probability that our country lacks passion in indoor sports and we find lesser
supporters for games played without physical exertion comes from the fact that
a sportsperson in India is believed to be a superhero with the ability to
physically test all mandates necessary for a marathon runner.
As a country we need to encourage our young
players, who are not just physical superheroes, but also excel in other areas
of sports. Our recent performances in
the London Olympics need to be an eye opener for educational institutions to
promote sportspersons with extraordinary talent.
Hopefully
this incident will help bring about a reform in the way sports is looked at in
our country.
