IITK101: Games and Sports Council

Waking up at 6 on weekdays and rushing to the sports grounds for the early morning PE101 classes, the introduction to the Games and Sports facilities at IIT Kanpur is one of the most prominent talking points in the usual offline semester. Since its inception, IITK has been an acclaimed institute for its wide-ranging sports facilities and because of the inculcation of the culture of participating in various sporting events for the students. The vast plethora of games and sports played on campus encompasses almost every outdoor and indoor game played across the globe. 

One of the important aspects of IITK that the freshers have missed out on in the online semester is the PE101 course. A subtle feature of the PE101 course was the Compulsory Physical Activity — CPA. With trials for different sports in the first week, students join a sport and pursue the same for their first year. The advent of the CPA over the years at IITK saw a blooming sporting culture, with students joining sports as inexperienced freshers and graduating from the institute as one of the most accomplished sportspersons the campus has ever witnessed.

The Main Sports Stadium, home to the cricket ground and the athletics stadiums is the first place where the incoming students realize the scale of the sporting facilities at IITK. The ground, home to one of the finest facilities for cricket, has seen the stands filled with crowds and a number of nail-biting finishes. The stadium also witnesses the thrill of the athletics events with students participating in running, throwing, and jumping events. The Main Sports Stadium is also home to the taekwondo maestros practicing their skills and with classes for every member of the campus community. 

Adjacent to the main stadium is the basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. With crowds rushing to the stands and cheering for their teams, and chanting anthems and slogans, the atmosphere in the courts is something that has brought the sense of belonging to IITK to numerous students. Accompanying the basketball and volleyball courts is the Old Student Activity Centre (Old SAC). The old-school environment at the Old SAC takes you to the times which laid the foundation of the Games and Sports facilities at IITK. Even though the Old SAC has evolved several-fold over the years, the place gives you a first-hand experience of how seriously sports are taken at IITK. Home to the gym and the weightlifting room, the sanctum also hosts the Squash and Badminton courts. With the skating rink right next to the Old SAC, the sporting facilities at the center of the campus span numerous sporting activities and are bound to be the favourite place on campus for several students.

While a number of sports are played out in the open sun, many are played under a roof with the most magnificent of facilities. Host to the wooden basketball court, state-of-the-art badminton courts, and a number of table tennis courts as well, the New SAC is a marvel of the sporting culture at IITK. Also, the New SAC is home to an air-conditioned gym! The New SAC is also the place that has the wall climbing facility at IITK!

Walking out of the New SAC, one is often left gawking at the massive hockey and football grounds at IITK. Witnessing several competitive games, the grounds have grown to become the home to the institute’s budding sportspersons. Any account of the sporting facilities at IITK would be incomplete without the Olympic-size swimming pool and water sports being played at the pool, such as water polo. The swimming facilities at IITK have been crucial in bringing laurels to IITK in inter-college and national sporting events.

Apart from all the above facilities, the Games and Sports  Council also act as an umbrella to numerous societies and clubs, including the chess club, the boxing club, the shooting club, the bicycling society, and the card and board games society. With the aim of helping students explore their interests and develop new hobbies, these clubs organize various events and workshops throughout the year and encourage the campus community to take part in the same.

The Games and Sports Council is one of the integral elements of IITK. From providing the students each and every facility to pursue their sporting interest to making the institute proud with their performances in the Inter IITs and other events, the council plays a pivotal role in keeping up the sporting culture on campus. The council ensures that all the sports have coaches to help students refine their technique, and the students are never short of opportunities to excel in the sport of their preference. Promoting the sports spirit and inculcating the culture of being healthy and fit, GnS is the reason that every student gets the opportunity to play and express themself on the playground.

Credits: Aryan Pandeya, Varun Soni, Milind Nigam