India's Olympic Failures Highlight School Sports Neglect

Hyderabad: India's disappointing medal count at the 2024 Olympics has turned the spotlight towards what is believed to be the root cause: the neglect of sports and physical education in schools.

Meera Naik, a parent from Hyderabad, voiced her concerns, saying, "There are only a handful of schools that truly support sports on par with academics. My daughter Manaswini is passionate about swimming, and I am fortunate enough to afford private lessons for her. For most parents, this isn't an option. Schools should be nurturing talent, not stifling it."

Bhaskar Kakarla, whose son Manav is a skating enthusiast, expressed his frustration with the system. "The Right to Education includes the right to physical education, but many schools are too focused on grades and ranks to care. We’ve had to spend an exorbitant amount of money on coaching, rinks, and even nutritionists because there simply aren’t decent facilities in the city," he said.

The failure to enforce the Right to Education Act (RTE) of 2009 has only exacerbated the problem, point activists. While a 2012 revision of the Act mandated that schools without playgrounds make alternative arrangements in nearby areas, this directive has had little impact in Telangana. The state government has failed to implement the Act in its entirety, leaving only certain portions enforced in a limited number of schools.

Sai Madhavi, a member of the Hyderabad School Parents Association, argued that the responsibility lay with the government to enforce stricter regulations. "Schools won’t change unless the government forces them to. Why should parents have to pay exorbitant fees just to get their children into a school that values sports? Physical education shouldn’t be a luxury—it should be mandatory," she said.