Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 16 : At the ongoing 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai, five students of government schools in Odisha - Somya Ranjan Barik, Suchismita Sahoo, Pratyasha Sahoo, Mohammad Hammad Noorain and Bharati Sabbar - were invited to share their experience of being part of the Olympics Values Education Programme (OVEP).
The OVEP programme was launched in May 2022 in Odisha by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. It is implemented by the School and Mass Education Department of Odisha government in partnership with the Olympic Museum of the IOC and the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust, an official release said.
OVEP is active in 250 government schools in Odisha. It impacts 2,00,000 students, ranging from grade second to 10 (7 to 16-year-olds). The OVEP teaches the core Olympic values of friendship, excellence, respect, and fair play and fosters social and emotional learning through teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, improving students' social skills and relationships.
Sharing her experience, Bharati Sabar said that she has learnt new experiences through OVEP.
"The programme has made me engage in many new activities, such as mixed-gender football. I've also been elected captain of the football team in my school which is something I never would have imagined before. I dream of representing Odisha and India in the Olympics, and I think many girls can benefit from opportunities like this."
Echoing her peer's sentiment, Mohammad Noorain said that he got to attend a model IOC session in his school as part of OVEP.
"I got to attend a model IOC session in my school, it was a group of boys who nominated Bharati as captain of the football team, we would've never imagined playing football with girls and now we are part of a team led by one. This is because OVEP has taught us a lot about fair play and so we decided on the best person to lead the team."
Olympic champion and member, IOC Athletes Commission, Abhinav Bindra, made a presentation on the programme implementation in Odisha and highlighted its success that has encouraged students to return to a routine following the pandemic with over 100,000 OVEP sessions across 250 schools, the release said.
OVEP encouraged 15,000 girls to participate in sports for the first time, including mixed-gender games.
The 'Let's Move' Campaign saw over 7 million children from Odisha participate, encouraging meaningful physical activity, the release said.
It said OVEP balances the role emphasis on academic achievements and physical education, recognizing physical education teachers as champions of the programme.
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