Race against declining sports interest, schools flag dip in stamina among students
Telegraph | 24 November 2025
At a recent 400-metre race in a city school, the gap between the first and second runners stretched to almost 100m, a stark contrast to the close finishes seen just a few years ago. Such wide margins have become the norm, said the school head.
With winter approaching, schools are preparing for annual sports days and a calendar of athletic events.
Yet many institutions report a worrying trend — dwindling enthusiasm among both students and parents. Classrooms, not playgrounds, have become the preferred refuge.
“We are struggling to make children enjoy sports despite having the infrastructure,” said Terence John, director of education and development at Julien Day Schools.
“Children don’t want to step out of their comfort zone, and an even bigger problem is that parents are letting them stay there instead of encouraging them,” he said.
Julien Day’s four campuses — in Calcutta, Kalyani, Howrah and Ganganagar — have wrapped up their school sports and are now gearing up for inter-school meets. But the lack of interest is accompanied by low stamina on the field.
“Except for a few exceptional ones, students do not have the energy to compete, or even complete a 200m race,” John said.
Schools said the reluctance surfaces even before practices begin. Each year, they receive requests from parents seeking to excuse their children. “Some want to avoid dust and skin allergies, others say they cannot stand in the sun,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.
Teachers across institutions report more children falling sick during practice sessions, drills, races and march-pasts.
“It’s not just sports, even at annual day practices they can’t stand for long, feel nauseous, or even throw up,” said Rumjhumi Biswas, principal of Swarnim International School. “After a couple of days of practice, we get letters asking for exemptions. Anything outside their routine becomes a challenge.”
The pressure is worse for older students, whose schedules are packed with tuitions and extracurricular activities.
“Parents want senior students to focus on academics. For many, sports are seen as a waste of time,” a teacher said.
At some schools, Classes X and XII students are kept out of sports altogether because participation is so low. “But even in Classes VIII to IX, around 30% want to stay away,” Biswas added.
What was once seen as a “senior school phenomenon,” several principals said, now begins in junior classes. “The disinterest is setting in from Classes IV or V,” John noted.
Many teachers believe the trend has worsened after the Covid pandemic. The lure of the online world is strong.
“Children are so occupied online that physical sports take a back-seat,” said Aruna Gomes, principal of Loreto Convent Entally.
“Earlier, children would stay back after school to use the playground, now they no longer run about even during lunch breaks,” she said.
Climate, too, plays a role.
Principals acknowledged that summers are hotter and winters milder than before.
“It’s either humid or rainy for most of the year. Sports need regular practice, but conditions are not always conducive. We can’t blame the children alone,” Sapru of The Heritage School said. The school now schedules four sports periods a week for every student.
Once, children also played freely in neighbourhood patches of green or even in narrow gullies — spaces that built resilience. Those, too, are disappearing.
“Playing in a gully made children tougher. Now, sporting arenas are curated, comfortable, even air-conditioned,” Sapru said.