School gives students a feel of Olympics opening

Chennai: Even as the Olympic torch relay was on the last leg of its 70-day journey along River Thames in London on Friday, a Chennai school held a special programme for its students to highlight the extravagance of the historic games that is held once every 4 years. MSB Matriculation School in Broadway showcased the history of Olympics through photographs and infographics and held an interactive session that kindled the interest of students in the pomp and show of opening ceremony.

British Deputy High Commissioner Mike Nithavrianakis participated as the chief guest and interacted with the students on the nitty-gritties of the Olympics. The diplomat, who was obviously pleased with the deep interest of students in Olympics, gave them snippets from the history of Olympics. Shabbir Nomani, presidentof the school, Mohammed Barbhaya, hon. secretary, Sheela Premchand, principal, were among those who participated.

Similarly, Chettinad Hari Shree Vidyalayam also got to experience the Olympic fever with Nithavrianakis visiting the school for a programme that was held on Thursday as part of a joint effort with the British Council to spread the message of Olympics to select schools across India. Around 100 students from classes six to 10 interacted with him and asked him questions about the upcoming Olympics, its relevance, its impact on neighbouring countries and the Deputy High Commissioner’s own preferences when it came to sports.

“Interacting with the students was a gratifying experience and I thoroughly loved it. I did this because I was quite keen to go to a couple of schools and talk about London 2012. I am hoping that the London Olympics will inspire young Indians to excel in sports,” said Nithavrianakis.

The students also watched videos on the mascots of London 2012, the effort and the hardwork behind the construction of new stadiums and the green initiatives as part of the event. The students who had the opportunity to interact with Nithavrianakis were seemingly impressed. “He knew quite a bit about sports and was very down to earth,” said Radhika N, a student.