Page 65 - Sanidhya 2024

WHAT STUDENTS CAN LEARN FROM PARALYMPICS

The Paralympics is a periodic series of international composure to deliver your best
multisport events involving athletes with a range of performance when it matters
disabilities. There are many ways to appreciate this the most. Mindsets should be
disability version of the Olympics and supposedly many changed to see big events as
different lessons to draw from them. opportunities rather than threats.

21st-century skills that include adaptability, MENTAL TOUGHNESS- They
communication, collaboration, empathy, integrity, have a high level of motivation,
learners’ mindset, and problem solving can be learned are able to cope with
Neha Jain
by our Gen Z and Gen Alpha through the remarkable setbacks, and are focused W/o SI (Min) Santosh Chand Kothari
success of the Indian contingent at the Paris Paralympic on goals. These skills are VS Wing, Dte. Genl. CRPF
games. vital. The ability to stay
motivated and confident over a long period is
The Paralympics don’t exist only to teach us lessons or crucial for overcoming challenges & achieving
uplift our hearts. But there are valid and valuable lessons long-term goals.
we can draw from them. Beyond the podium finishes,
all athletes who participated deserve to be celebrated VIGOUR- It means having high levels of energy
because each one’s is a story of incredible resilience effort and drive. The student should be informed
and sportsperson spirit. They have surmounted serious that now doing well in the current task will help them
challenges to push the boundaries set by a society that to develop important skills, improve performance
continues to be largely ableist by default. in their other subjects and make progress towards
future plan.
Sheetal Devi- first and only female international Para
archery champion without upper limbs. She became the OPTIMIST- It is measured by how someone
youngest person to compete in women’s para-archery at perceives their success or failures. Optimistic
the 2024 Summer Paralympics. students are more motivated and cope more
effectively with academic transitions.
Silver medallist, Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, the only Indian
para-badminton player to win back-to-back medals at CONTROL- Athletes talk about being process
the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games, is an IAS who focused; they concentrate on what they can control,
breaks stereotypes and shows academic as well as which usually means their strategies, routines, and
sporty excellence achievable. He became the first Indian performances.
bureaucrat to win a professional International Badminton
Championship. Students can take a similar approach by focusing
their efforts on “controlling the controllable”. By
High jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu became the first learning from these remarkable athletes, students
Indian to win medals at three consecutive Paralympics can develop a strong work ethic, resilience, and a
overcoming all his odds, raised by a single mother who growth mindset, applying the lesson to their own
worked as a labourer and the list goes on shooter Avani lives and pursuits. By focusing on what they need
Lekhara, javelin ace Sumit Antil, high jumper Praveen to do and not on the potential consequences, they
Kumar, Club throw medallist Dharambir and Pranav can build confidence while reducing fear of failure.
Soorma, Preethi Pal, not to forget swimmer Murlikant
Petkar and many more.

As they were preparing, they were not just facing a
physical test, but a mental one. Here is what students
can learn from them-

SELF REGULATION:- Probably they are less anxious by
nature and are better at handling their nerves. Stress and
anxiety can hinder concentration, so it takes a lot of self-
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