KOCHI: Nelson Mandela once said, “Sports have the power to change the world”. Inspired by his words, the picturesque sports tourism village Ramamangalam in Ernakulam is organising a Childhood Olympics on October 2 to spread the message of hope and peace as part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations. People from all walks of life, irrespective of gender, age, caste or religion will compete in the games that are popular among children.
The campaign is being jointly organised by the Ave Stella Maris College in Ramamangalam and Sports and Management Research Institute (SMRI) in Kochi. “In the early 1970s, Ping-Pong diplomacy helped improve the relations between China and the US. Inspired by events like these, we have come up with the Childhood Olympics — the innocent games of childhood like tic-tac-toe, pick up sticks and connecting the dots. From this year, we will organise these games from Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 to Martyrs’ Day on January 30,” says Sijin B T, director of SMRI.
“The games will continue across the state and country and will culminate in New Delhi. The ‘olympics’ will start every year from Ramamngalam,” adds Sijin. MLA Anoop Jacob will inaugurate the event at the college on Saturday. MLA K Babu, district panchayat member Asha Sanal and Ramamangalam panchayat president E P George will participate in the games.
“We want to spread Gandhi’s message of peace. We hope that the games will help provide the innocence of childhood to the adult generation and bridge the divisions based on gender, caste, religion etc. The students will help organise, referee and judge the games,” says Paul Mathew, principal of Ave Stella Maris College.