Kerala School 'Olympics' turns brilliantly 'Inclusive', but ...

If you walked through the main entrance of the Maharaja's College Ground in Kochi on Tuesday afternoon, you would not have missed the stench of urine. The single row of toilets on the left was clogged, and the sinks had overflowed. Students and elders still went in and out because that was the only facility at the venue for people to relieve themselves, and there were at least 2,000 guests at that time.

Yet, just outside the toilets, before a flight of stairs leading to the gallery, there were two cheerful women, Divyasree T and Sindhu R. They had come from the northernmost district of Kasaragod for the Inclusive Sports event associated with the Kerala School Games that was being held at the venue.

The two women stood guard over a bundle of team jerseys unloaded at the exit. They were merrily chatting away and seemed immune to the unpleasant surroundings. "We cannot be happier because our children are so, so happy," said Special Instructor Sindhu. She was referring to the 112 students from Kasaragod, including children with visual and hearing impairments, locomotor disabilities and intellectual disabilities, who had accompanied 45 instructors and officials from the district for the one-day Inclusive Sports event.

"Our children never had such a big opportunity. Most of them had only ever taken part in school or district-level events. But now they are here competing at the state level," Sindhu said. "It is like a festival to them and us," said Divyasree, District Resource Person for the event. "Our children were all so thrilled to just make the journey from Kasaragod in a bus."

Around the same time, Adwaith V, one of the blind athletes from Kasaragod, was entertaining a crowd at the venue's makeshift cafeteria with his beautiful rendition of the trending Malayalam movie song 'Kunjilam Vave'. A little while before that, Adwaith was seen competing in the 'Standing Throw Ball' team event. His team did not win, but he was bouncing regardless, just like Sindhu and Divyasree had claimed.

At the finishing point, mediapersons made a beeline for the winners of the 100 m race. The sprint event was only for visually impaired athletes. The participants, wearing blindfolds, were allowed to have guide runners, who ran side-by with a tether.

Gautam was Justin's guide runner, and the duo finished second in the sprint. Soon after the race, a group of teachers huddled around the boys, suffocating them with love. "You boys were super out there," said Anju S Panicker as she held the two together like their mothers would. The special instructor from Changanassery in Kottayam district was smiling ear to ear.

Compared to the team from Kasaragod, who travelled half a day to reach Kochi, Anju and the other 140-odd members of the contingent from Kottayam had made a 2-hour short trip across the Vembanad Lake. But their jobs were equally demanding. "Most of our kids had not gone outside Kottayam ever. So, for the parents to trust us with their precious children to make this journey and the overnight stay was so special," Anju said. "It is not easy for children with autism to stay away from their parents," said Anusree C K, BRC trainer from Ettumannur in Kottayam. "The children loved every moment, sleeping inside classrooms, participating in the event, eating together and all," said Joshy Thomas, a special instructor from Kuravilangad, also in Kottayam. "The food was amazing, the kids loved every meal," Anju added.

But not every kid was laughing; tears were shed, too. Mohammed Haris was inconsolable when he heard the final whistle in a second-round boys' football match between his Palakkad and Kozhikode. The Class 6 student with dwarfism threw himself to the ground and sobbed. It took some convincing from Nidheesh P and Abdul Kareem, special instructors from the north Kerala district, to get Haris back on his feet and smile again.

The boy was crestfallen because they had trained hard for the event. After a week-long training at the Kadampazhipuram High School Ground in Palakkad, Haris and friends had thought they had prepared enough. But Kozhikode won the knockout match 1-0. "We will bounce back, dear," Nidheesh told the boy.

Meanwhile, Kareem had his arms around two of Haris's teammates, who were also shattered by the loss. "Losing is part of the game; this is not the end. Cheer up," Kareem told the boys. Haris and friends had learned a life lesson. The best part was they were in the capable hands of instructors like Nidheesh and Kareem.

The special instructors, too, had trained hard for the Inclusive Sports. At least three instructors from each sub-district attended a specialised training programme in Kannur last year. They, in turn, trained their colleagues on how to prepare the children for the spectacle.

The inaugural edition of Inclusive Sports comprised four athletics events, namely 100m, 4X100m mixed relay, Standing Jump and Standing Throw Ball, besides Badminton, Football and Handball under Games. Students in the general category were allowed as goalkeepers for football and handball. At the same time, it was mandatory to field two intellectually challenged athletes, one visually impaired, one hearing-impaired and one with mobility disability. In football, which was seven-a-side, the athlete with hearing impairment had to stay within a box in front of the goalkeeper.

For the standing throw ball event, each team comprised six members, again following the composition for football and handball. Each member stood on a line and flung a shot-put-sized soft ball. All athletes had three attempts, and the best try from each member was counted for the overall score.

It was a brilliant event, one that showcased camaraderie, competitiveness, sportspersonship, and, yes, inclusivity. The General Education Department had taken pride in bulking up the annual Kerala School Games, their flagship sporting spectacle, widely considered the biggest school sports event in Asia, by accommodating Inclusive Sports. Declaring the Games open on Monday, Kerala's General Education Minister V Sivankutty talked about the state's commitment toward uplifting students under all categories.

The joy witnessed here today vindicated that claim. However, one couldn't overlook a few shortcomings, such as the unavailability of a ramp for children using wheelchairs, the logic of making a 1,400-participant event just a one-day affair, and that unpleasant odour.