Ramu R By Express News Service KOCHI: Three months ago, a visit to Japan was something Muhammed Asaf, a class XI of St Thomas School, Thiruvananthapuram, couldn’t have dreamt of. He was in complete disbelief when he found out that he has been selected for the 26th TAFISA (The Association For International Sport for All) World Congress which will be held in Tokyo between November 13 and 17. “I broke the news to my mother first who congratulated me. My friends also have been showering me with compliments,” said Asaf. Only seven students from the country have been selected by the All India Association of Sports for All (AIASFA) to attend the World Congress. Asaf will be presenting his paper ‘Made to Play’ which espouses the importance of physical activity. “Physical exercise is something that but adults and youngsters should engage in. It is a sound way to build a healthy body and mind,” said Asaf. Another concern he delves into in his paper is the growing obese population within the country. The young fitness evangelist wants physical training to be part of school curriculum on all days as it would inculcate discipline among students. The 20-minute paper presentation will also deal with the alarming trend of mobile phone addiction in the young generation. “Nowadays kids are hooked onto their mobile phones and are too lazy to go outside and play,” Asaf added. Asad’s father, A Saraf, who works as the assistant commissioner of SGST (State Goods and Services Tax) will be accompanying his son to Tokyo where he also will be presenting a paper titled ‘Sports Management: An empirical about the leadership approach in India’. “My study takes into account the past and present developments in Indian sport and tries to predict future developments for the next 100 years”, said Saraf. For his research, Saraf analysed 800 samples of athletes from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centres across the country. “Countries who lag in terms of infrastructure facilities have been performing much better at the Olympics. So, I also want to point out the flaws in our system through the study,” added Saraf who is also the national and international commissaire of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Like his father who was national cycling and roller skating champion and mother Regina Begum, former international handball player, Asaf too is interested in sports. He is presently part of his school football team and has also played at district level football competitions.

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