Sports Days

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Sports days seem to be a popular tradition in Asia. I experienced them in China and in Thailand, and now, also in Malaysia. Schools in my area do it a bit differently. There are practice days, where the students learn new games and do trials, and then there's the actual sports days that determine the winners. Both are two day events. They're usually held earlier in the year, but many of my schools delayed them until the end for one reason or another. The school year ends in a week or so, so it's actually a nice break before exams.

The students compete by gender and grade in a variety of events. Some events they do compete across grades. There's high jump, long jump, relay races, sprinting, shot put, and one school asked me for help teaching the students rugby. I've never even seen a game! I guessed to the best of my ability. And I think they later decided against it. Kindergarten students are separate and play a lot of games that look like more fun that sports (in my non-sporty opinion).

Both sports days I attended were rainy days. There are tents for each grade, with refreshments. Sometimes I helped with events, sometimes i just cheered, and sometimes I sat around with the teachers eating curry puffs. No matter how I was involved, it was fun to just be involved with something special for the students and staff.

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Photos

Games, too!
Nothing like a water balloon toss. In the rain.