For several years the British School in Colombo laid down the framework for its sporting growth by promoting extracurricular activities among its students, and providing them with all the adequate facilities to stimulate this growth. Now finally, with this groundwork having being completed, the school is gradually beginning to see results, with it steadily progressing further into many school sporting competitions.

The under 17 basketball team in action at the Inter-International Schools tournament at which they emerged as runners up.

This has been especially true of football, in which after a long period of near misses in terms of tournament victories, the under 19 team was finally able to snatch the Inter- International Schools Football Championship. This achievement was made sweeter when two of the players instrumental in their run throughout the competition, were rewarded for their efforts.

Goalie Yusuf Abdul took home the equivalent of the Golden Glove, while Ilsoon Hwang, who slotted in the solitary goal that was to prove decisive in dismissing their finals opponents Royal Institute, walked away with the coveted Golden Boot award.

Head of Physical Education and Sports at British School, Fiona Molligoda explains that football was always a sport both the school authorities as well as the students were enthusiastic about, and a recent change in coaching seemed to be the final element in the formula that delivered them success.
"The school hired Thaabit Ahmed, who did a great job with the boys and prepared them extremely well for the tournament. This was always a talented team and in a sense they had been playing under 19 football for three years because they competed in this age group even while a lot of them were under 17s," Fiona reveals.

However British School's sporting success this year has not been strictly restricted to football alone, with the school making substantial inroads in girls' basketball. This year their under 17 team emerged runners up at the inter-international schools tournament, a feat that was replicated by the under 15 team as well.

In the broader picture of school basketball British School functions as an invaluable pixel, not just by producing an endless stream of strong teams but also by hosting an annual indoor under 19 basketball tournament. The competition is currently going on and British School's Sports Head comments that organizing such events helps foster a spirit of unity at the school.

"Even students who aren't involved in sports come around to offer their support when we are playing games. Even a lot of students from the Junior school, which though housed in the same building is in many ways separated from the senior section, turn up to cheer," she says.

This cohesiveness is often on display when British School is competing in any sport and comes down entirely to the philosophy the school tries to instill in each one of its burgeoning athletes.
"What we tell our students before they go out to compete is to exhibit good sportsmanship and along with giving each performance their best effort to be polite and respectful to their opposition," the head of sports divulges.

Another important factor that has greatly aided the school in many of its sporting endeavours is its easy access to facilities. The school houses courts for nearly every major sport, such as tennis, badminton and squash. In addition the school also has its own swimming as well as an extra outdoor basketball court to compliment its indoor facility.

Finally Fiona stresses that most vital catalysts behind British School's extracurricular progress is its principal Andre- Fowler Watt. He has not only nurtured physical education at the school by incorporating it into the curriculum as a major subject, but has also built a solid rapport with many of the parents. This is immensely important because it ensures that students turn up for practices and that sport is given near equal priority to academics in their overall development.