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The Kerala government has begun preparations for the inaugural edition of the School Olympics, which would combine athletics and games into a single event. The School Olympics, in which around 24,000 athletes are expected to participate, are scheduled to be held in Ernakulam in the last week of October.
According to The New Indian Express, the general education department has come up with a schedule of various meetings to be held at the sub-district and district levels in the run-up to the event. According to the schedule, the game events at the sub-district level should be completed by August 20. For aquatics and athletics, the deadline for completion at the sub-district level is August 30.
At the revenue district level, the general education department has planned to complete events such as football and table tennis by August 31. While other games are to be completed by October 5 at the district level, the deadline for completion of athletics and aquatics events at the revenue-district level is October 10.
The department has convened a meeting to constitute a reception committee for the event at 3 pm on July 27. The meeting will be held at the Ernakulam Regional Sports Centre (Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium), Kadavanthra, Kochi. Teachers associations have been requested to send a representative for the meeting.
Meanwhile, there are complaints that the athletic fund for the conduct of the revenue-district-level events last year has not yet been fully disbursed. A section of teachers who worked as conveners of last year’s athletic meet has demanded full disbursal of the amount before going ahead with this year’s edition, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The general education department has planned to organise the School Olympics once every four years, beginning in 2024. School athletics and games will be held separately in the other years.