PROMOTION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS IN INDIA

Physical education as an integral part of the academic agenda was an anathema till the dawn of the last century. But what prompted its growth and transformed this negative school of thought was the success of the Olympic Movement in Europe, under the benign leadership of the French pedagogue, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who revived the Olympic Games at Athens in 1896.Sports, games and physical fitness have been a vital component of our civilization, as is evident from the existence of highly evolved system of yoga and a vast range of highly developed indigenous games, including martial arts. The intrinsic linkage between sports and games and human quest for excellence was recognized ever since the inception of human civilization, reaching its epitome in the ancient Greek civilization, which was the progenitor of the Olympic movement. Games and sports are a very necessary part of life. They keep us healthy and refresh our weary minds. Sports and physical education are useful for both for our mind and body. Physically all become healthy and mentally become disciplined. Games give us wisdom and courage, and make us bold and confident. They develop in us a spirit of co-operation. They teach us to fight in a healthy spirit, like a player fighting or playing with his rival in the playground. An ideal player has no ill-will against anyone. In short, games help to make us good citizens. Our education is incomplete without sports. Games are very useful in keeping the students and citizens busy and in developing their personalities. In modern times, there has been increasing recognition of the role of sports in Development.