Nigerians Kids Should Engage In Non-Contact Sports Amid The Pandemic – Gladys Okatho

Head of Physical Education (P.E) at Greensprings School, Anthony Lagos, Ms Gladys Okatho has come out to say that kids should be involved in non-contact sports amid the pandemic.

She recently revealed this while speaking on the effects of the pandemic on sports and Physical Education in Nigerian schools.

According to her, even if parents are scared of allowing their kids engage in any kind of sport right now, non-contact sports like racket games can actually help to keep their body fit without exposing them to the deadly virus.

She added that the body needs a lot of oxygen during vigorous activities like sports, therefore face mask will be unnecessary since there will be no contact.

His words, “COVID-19 has made students and parents very conscious of physical contacts with other people. Because of that, it is not a good decision to introduce games like football, basketball, and volleyball at this time. The best options, for now, are racket games, as they allow social distancing. Since the on-site resumption after the lockdown, all sports activities in Greensprings School have been restricted to racket games. Our practical lessons are on individual skill-based learning, and we primarily engage in badminton, table tennis, and lawn tennis,”

“When the students want to have a water break during the training,” she continued, “they are required to wash their hands with soap and dry them with the hand dryer. To maintain social distancing while playing games, we divide our students into different small sections, and a P.E teacher is assigned to each section to ensure COVID-19 safety compliance. After the lesson, the equipment is cleaned and sanitized.”

“The body needs a lot of oxygen during vigorous activities like sports. So, we don’t make our students wear a face mask during the practical classes for Physical Education. This is to prevent difficulty in breathing, especially for students who may be asthmatic. Besides, it is not hygienic to sweat on a mask and keep on it throughout the day. For these reasons, what we do is make the students maintain social distance by spacing them wide apart during the sessions,”

“Learning has been hybrid since we returned on-site. Therefore, students on-site take part in non-contact sports, while students learning from home are engaged with fitness exercises. At the beginning of P.E classes for our students learning virtually, we ask them to change to their sportswear, and we work out for 20 minutes before the topic of the day is treated.”

“This workout serves as a stress relief after sitting down for a long period attending online classes in other subjects. The fitness activities are always very interesting, and parents sometimes join us.”