There was a time when Kerala used to ace sports, especially athletics. P T Usha, Shiny Abraham and Anju Bobby George were household names not just in the state, but across the country. But the state’s recent performance has been nothing short of a disappointment. It came in at the 14th place at the latest National Games held in Uttarakhand—the only occasion Kerala has been out of the top 10 on the medals list. This dismal performance was despite the fact that the state has a sports minister for the first time. It has been quite a shock for the sports-loving state. Among the many reasons identified for the dismal performance is a dearth of fresh talent, as students are focusing more on academics than sports.
To attract new talent, the state government has announced that good performance in competitive sports would fetch grace marks for more students in standards 10 and 12 from this year. According to a circular issued by the education department, the eligibility criterion for awarding the grace marks has been widened. Students who secure up to the eighth place in state school sports meets would now be eligible for them; earlier, grace marks were awarded only to those up to the fourth place. For national sports meets, grace marks for first prize winners remain unchanged at 50, but those for second and third prize winners and for other participants have been enhanced.
A few other states like Maharashtra and Goa also give grace marks to students performing well at sports meets. While the governments’ intentions are good, it would require a lot more than extra marks to ensure solid performances on the field. The most important step would be to cleanse sports of party politics. Most sports bodies are used by governments to accommodate their party leaders. It’s too much to expect genuine interventions from these political appointees, as they rarely have any affinity or expertise in sports. So it remains to be seen whether mere grace marks for students will help Kerala produce world-class sports stars. While it’s a welcome step, more proactive initiatives are required on the ground to achieve the goal of producing yet another P T Usha.