For 15,000-odd foreign students based in Hyderabad, more so from the Osmania University and the Nizam College, it was a unique opportunity to showcase interest, if not necessarily skills, in sports when Sports Coaching Foundation (Masab Tank)'s three-day sports meet got underway at the Nizam College Grounds here on Thursday.
"Well, we don't want to think of what is happening back home right now. We are enjoying every bit of this sports meet," said, Zahid Hasan, coach of the 1000-strong Iraqi student community in the city, with a smile.
He observed that these are the kind of events which provided a chance to meet many other foreign students and get to know new things in life. The fact that the girl students, mostly from Afghanistan, too made their presence felt in the event was also a hint of how desperately these overseas students were looking for a platform to try their hand in some of the disciplines like the sprint events in athletics, basketball, football and cricket.
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With Prof. V. Satyanarayana, Director of Physical Education, OU, and Prof S. Rajesh Kumar, taking care of the technical aspects of the three-day meet, the participants can be assured of a smooth conduct of the events.
"Our idea is to lure our overseas students outdoors as they are usually confined to indoors. We are hoping our own local students would get inspired watching the foreign students participate in the sporting events which is the first of its kind in India," said K. Sai Baba of Sports Coaching Foundation (SCF), who is organising the event.