Not to have competitive sports for Under 13 is a step in the right direction - Ethir

July 20, 2020, 8:33 pm


The Ministry of Education (MoE) has decided to scrap competitive sports for the Under-13 age category from the Schools Sports calender from 2021. Here, Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam who represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics in 1952 at the age of 16 and later won country’s first gold medal at the Asian Games in high jump backs the MoE decision, stating that it is a step in the right direction.

The decision by the Ministry of Education not to have competitive sports for Under 13 is a step in the right direction to safeguard the emotional, intellectual and sports and games growth of children. However, I am not sure the rationale advanced for the decision as stated, "Event specific training at lower age categories has been cited by experts as the reason for average or below par performance at senior level specially in track and field" has any validity. I like to know who the experts were and what studies, rationale or anecdotal evidence they have to substantiate their claim. I would rather the MOE and Ministry of Sports site the positive aspects of non-specialization at an early age.

My experience from the time I was eight years old, is that participation in traditional village games and in games such as cricket, athletics, soccer, table tennis, badminton from the time I was 9 years old helped to be the best in Asia in high jump and later perform well in cricket. There are many such anecdotal examples in Sri Lanka and in other countries.

For all sports performance, eye-hand coordination, arm leg coordination, feet and hand dexterity are important. Speed, strength, coordination and endurance are required for skill performance. These skills need to develop gradually by playing many games and sports as the child grows. Such development needs to be gradual and in pace with the physical growth and development of thinking skills and various strategies that each of the different sports requires to excel in performance over time and in comparison to others in their age group. Most of the basic skills and strategies are transferable from one sport to another. The child also begins to feel an affinity to one or a group of sports mainly based on the happiness that a sport evokes and natural talent. It is such happiness that makes the child want to feel to spend more time and effort to experience such joy.

It is such exploration and experience that parents, teachers, schools and the education and sports system need to nurture. The child will want to and feel the need to search for new knowledge and ideas from books, Internet sources, coaches and by witnessing older adults and professionals. Such desire and need to perform and achieve better, motivate the child to learn the science and arts of the sports. Such intrinsic motivation transcends the extrinsic motivation offered in terms of trophies, fame and other form of awards. The child on its own wants to read, express in writing and verbally. Importantly the child acquires the desire to learn more about sports and other subjects that the school offers. Most importantly the student-scholar acquires the desire to learn and perform for the pleasure such learning and improvement gives and not to pass examinations or break records.

The young sports person, observe how skills, practice, attitudes and approaches to competition and strategies for good performance of one sport applies to other sports. Importantly, the young sportsperson observes that, compared to others in their age group, the sports or events that they are better at and enjoy practice and competition helps them to perform well. The sports coaches or family can guide the young sportspersons to choose one or two sport to focus after 13 or 15. Hence Talent Identification Test at Grade 6 when the child is 11 years old will not measure the potential of the child’s future performance. Importantly, before such a test is administered at any age, the MOE should verify the Validity and Reliability Indices performed by a reputable institution over time for Sri Lanka student-athlete and published in Peer Reviewed Journal.

I am able to express now how I as a child thought but did not have the vocabulary to communicate how I felt and what I as a child was thinking. Now I am able to do so as I have learned to express what I thought and felt as a child.

Coaches and parents are mentors to help the child to perform better at what they like and not to treat them like a circus animal trainer does to make their ward perform for the audience and for the coach’s or parent’s benefit. This applies to schools and sports associations using children to perform for the glory of their school or respective associations. Activities of coaches, sports associations, teachers, schools and education system should be child centered.

A book recently published – Range by Epstein – that is available as ebook, argues for children to be exposed to a range of sports. It gives similar rationale as above for its recommendation. It mentions that some sports and sportspersons specialize in one sport from the time they are five or six years old. Examples are Roger Federer, William Sisters and Tiger Woods. Swimmers and Gymnasts also fall in the category of sports that many specialize from childhood. This is not to say others who performed at world class in such sport specialized early. In music the Motzarts, Beethovens, Brahms, Chopins were child prodigies. So are the child prodigies in academic disciplines. In sports the child has to wait for physical maturity to achieve their peak performance and continue such performance till they are 30, 40 or like in golf in their fifties.

At school, during my time, 1943 – 1955, cricket was in the first term, athletics in the second term and soccer in the third term. The other sports fit in one of the three terms. For the under 15 it is important to restrict competition to one term for each sport to encourage students to participate in at least three sports. Athletes were required to take part in three events where one has to be a field event and not more than two running events. After 16 they can choose one event only or two and not more than three events. Cricketers are encouraged and selected to be in the team if they are good at fielding and either bowling or batting. Sportspersons who have demonstrated exceptional talent in one sport or one athletic event should be promoted as an exception.

When the IOC and its sports associations accepted professionalism and monetary rewards, the process and procedures in school sports had also given in to professionalism when cash rewards for student performers and coaches are offered as rewards. Hence the coaches and parents push for students to specialize too early. School sports need to follow strict amateur guidelines with exception of helping the student-athlete with nutrition and sports related equipment.

Fundamental requirement to take part in sports in any term in schools should be that the sportsperson maintain a "Credit" pass average in the previous term. No school should give exception to any school sportspersons.