The BOSM English Press sat with Avichal Khandelwal, Sports Secretary of the Sports Union, and asked about the Union’s plans and initiatives leading up to the fest.
He explained that the Sports Union looked after the teams that went for outstation tournaments, maintained the sports facilities on campus, and conducted sports events, like BITS Premier League(BPL), that enhanced the sporting culture on campus.
He explained that one of the key objectives of BOSM 2024 was the inclusion of the GBM members, since it was a sports fest and there was not much that they could do. To do so, he stated that a ‘Pro DJ Nite’, in collaboration with Red Bull, would be hosted on Day Zero. He added that badminton and table tennis matches under neon lights would also take place in SAC. Moreover, he said they would be holding a few other activities at VK Lawns this time, like gel blasters, cricket bowling machines and a few food stalls. He also said that they had implemented these changes while ensuring the level of participation from the outstation teams remains the same.
When asked about the logistical issues that may arise while using VK Lawns for BOSM, he justified this decision by saying that VK Lawns had a prime location due to its proximity to six bhawans, with a lot of freshers and final-year students. It was also close to the Gym Grounds(Gym-G), he explained. He said that they were looking to expand the number of events this BOSM, in which VK Lawns would play an instrumental role.
He listed some new initiatives taken this year for BOSM. This included a brand-new skating rink constructed in Gym-G, which would also be used for playing rollball; installation of floodlights at the MedC Cricket Grounds so that matches could be played at night; renovation of the badminton courts at SAC—with the number of playing arenas increased to four—with a new colour scheme to reduce visibility issues; and the repolishing of the squash court.
He said that they were expecting around 1200 participants this year with a higher gender ratio and teams from a few new colleges. He explained one of the main challenges they faced this year was deciding the dates for BOSM because they were clashing with the dates of the convocation. Since the chief guest for the convocation was the President of India, he explained that it would have been difficult to ensure that the President’s safety protocols were followed with outstation participants coming to the campus. Due to this, the planning was halted for almost two weeks.
When asked about the unprecedented arrival of rain in almost every BOSM, he joked that ‘Rain and the Sports Union are a match made in heaven.’ He said that the only way to tackle this issue was to delay the matches which were most likely to get affected by rain.
He remarked that one of the issues faced during the last BOSM was a disciplinary issue from the team coming from Manav Rachna University as one of their male players went inside Meera Bhawan. A few players from the college also indulged in an on-ground fight with Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. To ensure that this would not happen again, he said that they had arranged for tighter security in and around Gym-G, SAC and outside the campus as well. They had also imposed stricter guidelines for the outstation participants. Since BOSM is a sports fest, he explained that it was expected that a ‘bit more rowdy crowd’ would come in. However, it was the responsibility of the CoSSAc and all the individuals working that something of this sort did not happen this time, he added. Additionally, he mentioned that to ensure transparency and fairness in all the matches, they made sure that the referees and the officiating judges were not from Pilani.
Being a football player, he said that he was looking forward to the football matches. He remarked that basketball matches have one of the best atmospheres in BOSM. He conveyed that he was always excited about teams coming in from Delhi University (DU), like Shri Ram College of Commerce, Sri Venkateswara College, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.
When enquired about his vision for BOSM in future years, he said the first aim would be to increase the cash prize and GBM participation in the fest. On a parting note, he encouraged the GBM to attend all the matches. For the participants, he asked them to ‘give their best, not hold back and make every second count.’