Sunday, November 8th, 2009
Chitkara International School had its 3rd Annual Sports Day, the CIS Winter Olympics 2009, on Sunday, November 8th, 2009. The theme for this year’s CIS Winter Olympics 2009 is an inspiration from the Beijing Olympics held in the year 2008. The Fuwa, "good-luck dolls", known as "Friendlies", are the mascots of “CIS Winter Olympics 2009”. There are five fuwa: Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini. All these ‘Mascots’ represent prosperity, happiness, optimism, passion, health and good fortune. Together, these names form the sentence "huanying ni," which means "We Welcome You". Students from all the classes, including Nursery, participated in various races and games.
After the event was declared open, first on the agenda was a march past in which all the students took to the ground with colorful flags, shirts and left-right steps. After the march past there was a torch lighting and oath taking ceremony. This was then followed by the school song.
A number of races were organized and conducted with all the students participating. Nursery students competed against each other in various races, in which they wore dragon masks as they crawled to the finish line. There was also a race, which required some gross and motor skills from the Grade 3 students, in which students picked up wafers with the help of chopsticks and put it in a bowl. There was also a “Judo” performance which was followed by a professional gymnastics performance.
It wasn’t all games and races, as various students performed songs and the students of Grades 3 and 4 put on a brilliant “Chinese Umbrella Dance” to a very popular Chinese tune. After the conclusion of the races, there was a wonderful band performance to a very famous tune in which the students of grades 3 and 4 played the Casio and the drums.
The highlight of the show was the participation of parents in different races, which were designed for them. Moms and dads all actively participated in the events and gave spirited performances.
In the end there was a prize distribution, in a proper Olympic style with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners taking to a platform and being awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals. Parents were also rewarded with gift vouchers for their efforts.
The message behind the event was evident. Along with the physical and mental fitness aspect of such sporting events, a healthy competitive spirit develops amongst the children. The Event also created a platform for the amalgamation of two cultures which was conveyed by the students who anchored the CIS Winter Olympics.
Overall it was a gay and merry affair, which included lots of entertainment and fun while imparting an educational experience.
