In another first, State school sports welcomed Malayali students from abroad

For Hamza Nasser, the Kerala School Sports & Games 2024 was a revelation, even with his brief experience on the opening day after arriving in the city on Monday (November 4) morning.

After all his schooling in Dubai, the Plus Two student from Kannur had never had an event of this flavor at home. “It’s really amazing,” he said, sitting in a packed garage at Maharaja’s College Ground, trying to be heard over the deafening sounds of the cultural programs held in connection with the inaugural event.

Hamza was part of a basketball team representing a group of six schools across West Asia, including Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al-Khaimah. A team of 50 students and five coaches from the region flocked to the city as this sports meet, for the first time in its history, opened its doors to Keralite students from abroad.

Minister of Education V. Sivankutty led a reception for them at a city hotel soon after their arrival.

“Entrants were selected from school-level competitions held in West Asia. In this event, students who did well were selected from a group of six schools. They will compete in basketball, volleyball, football, and athletics,” said Sumesh Kumar, head of the Physical Education department at Gulf Model School, Dubai.

All of them were facing a homecoming event of this scale for the first time. As they used to spend the holidays with their families, the sports meeting gave them a completely different experience with their peers. They will stay in this city until the end of the meeting on November 11.