The BOSM English Press sat down with Manas Dagayach, captain of the taekwondo team, to talk about the team’s upcoming preparations for BOSM.

The Olympic form of taekwondo, Kyorugi, would be the format played. Ten to twelve players, of different weight classes on the team, would spar with two players from opposing teams in an arena for three rounds, and the best two would be considered. Each round would be an intense burst lasting two minutes, with about a minute-long break between rounds in which the four referees, positioned around the arena, would tally the points. A player could gain points by kicking above the waist, and only one form of punching would be allowed. A player would lose if he got more than five fouls in the round, fell, or exited the arena.

Manas mentioned that the team had been focusing on sparring in preparation for BOSM, building on the basic kicks they had taught their recruits. Initially, the team faced some issues regarding their practice space and old mats, but they eventually received another room and new mats to practice on. He said that the team expected fierce competition from O.P. Jindal, Bennett University, and Galgotias University. Up till last year, the team had focused mainly on the basics, but they have transitioned to sparring more to improve their performance. 

The team had performed well in the previous editions of BOSM, winning the most gold medals and also the MVP title last year. He remarked that he expected the utmost discipline from the team. With taekwondo being a self-defence sport, they do not turn down anyone interested in learning, and he expected his team members to be able to teach anybody, given that the recruits had coaching for only a month, after which they had to learn from the team. Manas emphasised that due to the nature of the sport, injuries were inevitable, leading to inconsistent effort from aspiring recruits. To resolve this, Manas encouraged regular communication within the team.

Reflecting on his experience as a captain, Manas described the role as rewarding. Despite being in his final year of college and juggling placements, he never once felt burdened by the responsibility to lead the team. He encouraged everyone to take a shot at taekwondo and said, ‘You’ll enjoy this journey a lot.’