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Kerala School Olympics 2024

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Kerala School Olympics 2024
Host cityKochi
Athletes24,000 (Expected)
Events39
Opening4 November 2024 (2024-11-04)
Closing11 November 2024 (2024-11-11)
Main venueJawaharlal Nehru International Stadium

The Kerala School Olympics 2024 (Malayalam: കേരള സ്കൂൾ കായികമേള 2024), will be the inaugural edition of the Kerala State School Olympics games. This event is a revamped version of the Kerala State School Athletics and Games, which had been held annually until 2023.[1]

The school Olympics is scheduled to take place from November 4 to 11 in Kochi.[2] The opening ceremony will take place at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium with the concluding ceremony set to be held at Maharaja's College Stadium.[3][4]

Background

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The Kerala State School Olympics is a multi-sport event organized by the Kerala Public Education Department, set to establish a new standard for school sports in the state. This event is a reimagined version of the traditional state school sports festival, designed to emulate the global Olympic format and will be held every four years. The inaugural edition will take place from November 4 to 11, 2024, in Kochi, with 19 venues hosting 10,000 matches across 39 sports disciplines.[5]

Out of the 4.5 million students enrolled in schools under the Public Education Department, a total of 24,000 athletes will participate in the Kerala School Olympics. The event represents Kerala's efforts to promote physical education and sports at the grassroots level. The competition will include both day and night matches, with events held at 16 major stadiums across the city.[6]

Students from the Gulf region will also participate in the Kerala State School Olympics in Kochi. The Director of Public Education issued a circular inviting non-resident students to take part in the event. This marks the first time that students from Gulf countries have been invited to a state government-sponsored sports event. The team from the United Arab Emirates will compete as the 15th district in the games, adding international dimension to the competition.[7]

The Games

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Format and ceremonies

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The Kerala School Olympics will follow the structure and grandeur of the Olympic Games, complete with Olympic-style opening and closing ceremonies, to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium and Maharaja's College Stadium. The winning athletes will be awarded Olympic model medals, along with cash prizes and certificate.[8]

Participating Districts / Regions

Sports and events

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The Kerala School Olympics will feature a broad range of sports that mirror those included in the Summer Olympics, in addition to traditional athletics track and field events. This reorganization aims to broaden the scope of school sports, fostering all-around athletic development among students.[9]

Competitions will be held in 39 sports, including popular Olympic sports such as:

Mascot

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The logo and mascot for the State School Sports Festival – Kochi'24 was unveiled, with "Thakkudu," a lively "Annarakannan" (squirrel), serving as the official mascot. The logo was designed by Rishi Kallada, while Vinoj Surendran created the mascot. The launch was officiated by Ministers P. Rajeeve and V. Sivankutty.[10][11]

Trophy

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Kerala Education Department introduced The Kerala State School Olympics Gold Cup, the winning award to honour the overall champions of the annual Kerala State School Olympics. It is modelled after the gold cup previously awarded to the winning district in the Kerala State School Arts Festival.[12]

The gold cup weighs 3 kilograms and is named after the Chief Minister of Kerala. It is intended to be awarded as an Ever Rolling Trophy to the district that achieves the highest points in the multi-sport event. However, due to time constraints, the gold cup will not be presented at the inaugural edition of the Kerala State School Olympics in 2024. Education department officials have indicated that while the trophy has not been prepared in time for this year's event, it will be introduced in future editions.[13][14]

Selection of participants

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The selection of participants for the Kerala State School Olympics is overseen by the Education Department to ensure that proper rules and regulations are followed from the sub-district to the state level. The system is designed to identify and enrol top-performing athletes from across the state, enabling a smooth transition for competitors from sub-district to revenue district, and finally to the state level.[15]

Age categories

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Participants are divided into three main categories based on age:

  1. Under-14 (Sub-junior): Players must be born after January 1, 2011.
  2. Under-17 (Junior): Players must be born after January 1, 2008.
  3. Under-19 (Senior): Players must be born after January 1, 2006.

In addition to these categories, competitions are also held at lower levels for Kiddies, LP Kiddies, and LP Mini categories, for younger students.

Participation process

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The Kerala State School Olympics will have competitors from 163 sub-districts across Kerala. Each revenue district is allocated a specific number of participants in various sports to maintain competitive balance. The number of athletes allowed per district is standardized for each event:

  • In athletics, the competition spans 25 track and field events. Each revenue district can send up to three participants per event, except for the relay events, where more athletes are allowed.
  • In swimming, districts can send six participants for relays and three participants in individual events across 19 swimming events.
  • For shooting, three participants are allowed per district in each of the three events.
  • In archery, four participants can compete in each of the six events from each district.
  • Tug of war (a traditional sport) allows a team of nine players, although the competition itself is for an eight-member team. The total body weight of the eight-member boys' team must not exceed 560 kg, while the girls' team has a limit of 440 kg.

Challenges

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Due to logistical challenges and technical difficulties at the Kochi venue, the scheduled competitions for the inaugural Kerala School Olympics 2024 is expected to face adjustments. Despite completing the sub-district, education district, and revenue district-level competitions in athletics and swimming by the October 10 deadline, the constraints in Kochi prevents several sports events from being held simultaneously as planned.[16][17]

As a result, some events were relocated to alternative venues. Notably, the hockey matches, originally set to take place in Kochi starting from November 4, were shifted to Kollam for technical reasons. Competitions for Under-14, Under-17, and Under-19 boys and girls will now be held in Kollam from October 20 to 24.

References

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  1. ^ "In a first, Kerala State School Sports Meet to be held along the lines of Olympics". thehindu.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  2. ^ "First Kerala School Olympics in Kochi in November". madhyamam.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  3. ^ "Kerala's first School Olympics to be held in Ernakulam in October". thehindu.com. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  4. ^ "Inaugural 'School Olympics' to be held in Ernakulam from October 18-22". newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  5. ^ "Here's how Kerala gov't is preparing for School Olympics". edexlive.com. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  6. ^ "Kerala School Olympics to be held in every four years". english.mathrubhumi.com. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  7. ^ "State School Olympics: UAE will be named the "15th District"". mediaoneonline.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-10-19.
  8. ^ "Kerala's New Sporting Tradition: School Olympics to Debut in Kochi with 41 Events". skoobuzz.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  9. ^ "Kerala School Olympics to have inclusive sports: Minister". thehindu. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  10. ^ "Thakkudu: Mascot for Kerala School Olympics 2024 Unveiled". deshabhimani.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  11. ^ "'Takudu' has arrived! Kerala School Sports Mela mascot released". kvartha.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  12. ^ "Kerala's first-ever 'School Olympics' to dazzle with 3-kg gold trophy". english.mathrubhumi.com. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  13. ^ "Kerala's first-ever 'School Olympics' to dazzle with 3-kg gold trophy". thebridge.in. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  14. ^ "Gold Cup in School Olympics!". deshabhimani.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  15. ^ "Kerala School Games Transformed: 39 Sports and 10,000 Matches Mark a New Era in School Olympics". etvbharat.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  16. ^ "Renovation of synthetic track yet to be completed for Kerala School Olympics". mathrubhumi.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
  17. ^ "Concerns mount over Maharaja's stadium readiness ahead of School Olympics". The Times of India. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
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