Sportacular 2024: A celebration of discipline, teamwork, and holistic development

On October 19, 2024, Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park held its most awaited Sports Day – Sportacular 2024 for the pre-primary school. The event took place on a clear and dazzling day that reflected the enthusiasm and energy of the young athletes. The students of nursery to class II left their classrooms and embraced the open field, where the focus shifted from winning or losing to the sheer joy of participation. It was a day filled with the exhilaration of movement and the invaluable lessons that sports impart, reminding everyone of the beauty of teamwork, resilience, and camaraderie.

The grand celebration brought together esteemed Chief Guest, Mr Amit Khanna, the Fastest Man of India and former national record holder of 100 metres, heads of various primary schools, and parents to support the enthusiastic participants from the students. Every child on the day was a winner simply by taking part! The event kick-started with the presentation of a green welcome to all the esteemed guests. The Chief Guest was also given a memento.

Speaking at the event, Mr Khanna said: “The speed of the boss is the speed of the team. I saw that on the field. I congratulate the entire team, especially the teachers, for standing in the sun and managing these toddlers. A quick word of advice to all the winners: Winning is easy. Jeetna phir bhi aasaan hai but maintaining that victory is the toughest challenge. For those who didn’t make it to the podium, I want to say: Don’t give up. Hard work will always beat talent if talent isn’t working hard.”

Gone are the days when people used to say, Kheloge, kuduge, hoge kharap, padhoge likhoge, banoge nawab, he added. “If you take sports seriously, you can indeed become a ‘nawab’. Being the fastest in a country of over a billion people required immense effort, but the willpower and discipline I developed through sports made this possible. I believe our lives are like a ‘lemon and spoon race’. We are caught in a rat race and forget about our health and fitness. Just like in a lemon and spoon race, if we drop the lemon, we lose. The spoon represents our profession, and the lemon represents our health. If we let our health slip while running this race, we lose in the bigger picture. So, it’s crucial to maintain a balance between the two,” he said and added that we should focus on developing discipline just like professional athletes like Virat Kohli or Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Principal, Mrs Surabhi Joshi, took to the podium and gave a warm welcome to all the guests present, especially Mr Khanna. “We are proud to announce 100 per cent participation from our students. Managing even one child can be quite a challenge, so imagine coordinating nearly 500 young athletes! I am incredibly proud of our teachers, who have worked tirelessly to organise this event.

“The legacy of our Founder-Chairman, Dr Stya Paul, who believed in the holistic education of students and the importance of fit children, has culminated in the sports spectacle. It is said that the most exciting section of the newspaper is Sports as it celebrates human victory. In sports, we find positivity — not solely in winning, but in the journey of falling and rising and soaring high, as our school motto emphasises. On that note, I declare the sports meet open,” Mrs Joshi declared.

This was followed by releasing of several balloons, by the Chief Guest along with the Principal, Vice-principal, Ms Vandana Bansal, and Ms Rachna Jain, Pre-Primary Coordinator, that symbolised soaring spirits and bright futures. To ignite the flame of sportsmanship, the flame torch ceremony was presented to showcase unity, hope and determination.

The young champions then presented March Past and walked in tandem and discipline. The students of class I who showed their yoga prowess were trained by Sports Guru. It was time for tiny tots of the nursery (Sections A, B, and C) to participate in various races along with their parents.

The aerobic drill by the little athletes was in perfect coordination as they presented a fun-filled performance. It was then time for the kindergarten races for Sections A, B, C, and D – girl races followed by the boys. 

The highlight of the celebration was the parachute drill by the students of class I. The perfect coordination among the students ensured that the spectacular colours of the parachute were on full display. The dumbbell drill by the nursery won the hearts of one and all.

The Chief Guest along with the Principal and Vice-principal were called upon to give away the medals and certificates to the winners of races from nursery and KG. The Khelo India drill presented by the students of class II that followed was a testament to the Khelo India initiative by the government.

It was then time for the students of classes I and II (Sections A, B, C, and D) to show their talent on the race track. The parents were then called for an energetic Zumba along with their wards on the field. It also saw participation from the Principal and Vice-principal.

The Chief Guest along with the Principal and Vice-principal were once again called upon to give away the medals and certificates to the winners of races from classes I and II (all Sections). This was followed by a vote of thanks by the Vice-principal.

“I would like to thank our Chief Guest, Mr Khanna for honouring the event. Thank you to our Principal ma’am for leading from the front. A thank you to the teachers who have worked hard for an entire month along with the rest of the department for this celebration. I thank the pre-primary in-charge and the rest of the team for organising everything – from logistics to the safety and security of children. I would like to thank the Sports Department and Sports Guru team for their efforts in making this event successful as well,” Ms Bansal shared.

The Sportacular 2024 ended with the National Anthem!