Twelve-year-old budding gymnast A Harshitha Chowdhary, a class VII student of Polepalli-based Kendriya Vidyalaya here, is pinning her hopes on the persons at the helm of affairs to include gymnastics under the sports category in the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS).
Driven by a penchant for gymnastics, the girl has proved her prowess in the exhilarating game of rhythmic gymnastics at a young age.
She has showcased her talents and won laurels at various State and national level gymnastic competitions organised by the Gymnastic Federation of India, Gymnastic Associations of several States across the country in the last couple of years.
She secured first position in the South India Gymnastics Championship held in Hyderabad in 2013 and third place in the Gymnastic Championship organised by the Tamil Nadu Gymnastics Association in Tirupur in 2011.
However, her long cherished dream to represent her institution at the School Games Federation Gymnastic championships remained unfulfilled as gymnastics is not included in the list of sports organised in the KVS, sources said.
The non-inclusion of the most exciting sport of gymnastics in the list of sports under the KVS has prompted several young gymnasts of the institution to switch over to other sports, points out AMK Gandhi, father of Harshitha.
I have written a letter to the KVS authorities concerned last year seeking inclusion of gymnastics to enable the talented gymnasts of the institution participate in the School Games Federation championships, says Mr Gandhi, who earlier worked as a physical director in a private college.
My ambition is to bring glory to my institution and the district at the national level by excelling in the gymnastics competitions organised by the School Games Federation, asserts Harshitha, making a fervent appeal to the authorities to introduce gymnastics in the KVS.
