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The Tokyo Olympics have almost come to a conclusion. Hopefully, the enthusiasm and euphoria around it brings us happiness and helps us briefly forget the doom and gloom prevalent in the world today. PR Sreejesh's heroics at the goal helped the national team clinch an important medal in hockey after 41 years.
Interestingly enough, the Tokyo Games is also the first time in 41 years that no female athlete from Kerala was part of the Indian contingent. Fifteen women athletes from Kerala have so far represented India in the past 11 editions of the Olympic Games.
A total of eight male athletes from Kerala across three sports have been named in the final squad. Athletes K.T. Irfan and Jabir M.P. (both from Malappuram), Murali Sree Sankar (Palakkad), Muhammad Anas Yahiya (Kollam), Noah Nirmal Tom (Kozhikode), Alex Antony (Thiruvananthapuram), Swimmer Sajan Prakash (Idukki) and Hockey Goalkeeper (P.R. Sreejesh) are a part of the Indian team at the Games village.
The University of Calicut can be proud to have its athlete Murali Sreeshankar of Victoria College, Palakkad, as India's long jumper. While K.T. Irfan and Noah Nirmal Tom were products of St. Joseph's College, Devagiri and Mohammad Anas Yahiya came from Sree Krishna College, Guruvayoor, and they all represented the University of Calicut at the Inter University Athletic Meet.
Kerala, which is smaller in terms of area occupied compared to other states, has a population of just over 340 lakhs. The Malayalees have always possessed bountiful amounts of irrepressible enthusiasm and passion towards sports and seemingly possess a genetic advantage with respect to their physical prowess.
This has allowed the state to produce a significant number of top-class athletes, the first of whom was Major General Dr. C.K. Lakshmanan from Kannur. With the exception of newly formed districts, Pathanamthitta and Kasargod, the other districts have all played their part in contributing a total of 48 Olympians from Kerala (up to 2016 Olympics, Rio De Janeiro).
Kannur - Birthplace of Olympians
Kannur (anglicized as Cannanore) is located in Northern Kerala and sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. In conjunction with her sister city, Thalassery, it was once the third largest city on the West Coast of British India, way back in the 18th Century, second only to Bombay and Karachi. It may be said that, at least within Kerala, no other city can claim bragging rights to several unique historic events which have occurred there over time.
The first guerrilla war in the world where the locals were trained in the ways of Kalaripayattu was organized in this city by Pazhassi Raja against the British. This highly impressive set of combat techniques is arguably the mother of all martial arts.
Its influence has spread to more than 30 distinct art forms which have shaped the state’s culture including the likes of Kathakali and Kolkkali and even extending to the vibrant Chavittunatakam and the highly ritualistic Theyyam.
History of Sports in Kannur
The majority of sports administrators and reporters may hold their mouths agape in disbelief upon realizing that it was in Thalassery that the first cricket ball was bowled in India about 221 years ago.
Lord Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, introduced the sport in 1800. His compatriots are affiliated with the military center and some Christian missionaries also introduced athletics, football, hockey and tennis to Kannur.
In 1856, BGM School was established in Thalassery and was subsequently rechristened as Basil German Mission Parsi School. For the first time ever, physical education was made compulsory to the school curriculum and played a prominent role in identifying athletic talents at youth level.
One of the oldest physical education departments was set up at Brennan College, Thalassery, in 1890, which ultimately made a significant contribution towards the rise of several sportspeople of high repute and merit.
Keelari Kunhikannan, the pioneer of the Indian circus industry, began training his first recruits in 1890. Under his tutelage, several artists tasted success in creating their own shows. the "Kannan Bombayo,"
The end result was the creation of a small village in the proximity of Thalassery, which gained the title of “The Cradle of Indian Circus.” N.P. Kunhikannan, known among his peers as ‘Kannan Bombayo,’ nephew of Keelari Kunhikannan, was considered as the world’s greatest acrobat on the bouncing rope and was also Kerala’s first international celebrity.
At a show in Berlin, Germany, Kannan’s spectacular performances earned him praise from Adolf Hitler, who referred to him as “The Jumping Devil of India.”
The advent of the 20th Century heralded the ascent of weightlifting and bodybuilding champions from Kannur. The young men who won most of these competitions held in Calcutta laid the groundwork for the emergence of several distinguished names in this sport in years to come.
Weightlifter A.M. Bharathan was a weightlifter of great renown in the early 50s. Nelliary Krishnan Nair was the first Indian of Malayalee heritage to have represented their country in the weight-lifting category at the inaugural edition of the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951. T. P. P. Nair became the first Asian Games Medalist from Kannur when the Indian Volleyball Team came second in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games.
He was also the first Keralite to captain the Indian National Volleyball Team at an international tournament. Kannur also earned more glory when two of her sons, T.K. Ramakrishnan and Kumaran, became household names in South India owing to their successes in ball badminton.
After Indian Independence, football clubs such as Spirited Youths, Luck Star, Brothers Club and Gymkhana Club popularized the game producing many national and international stars. The likes of D’Cruz, Mustafa, C. M. Chidanandan, P.K. Balachandran, C. P. Soman, B. Devanand and V. P. Sathyan, among others, were the most famous ones.
Jimmy George, a veteran volleyball player who was born in Kannur, was chosen as one of the top 10 strikers in the world at the time by an Italian club. Leelamma Thomas evolved into an iconic figure in women's basketball and earned selection to represent India at the Asian Games, becoming the first ever female basketballer from Kerala to do so. During the 60s and later came famous cricketers like Leslie Aron, Babu Acharath and J.K. Mahendra.
Both Police Maidan and Fort Maidan became the center of attraction for all sporting activities and provided facilities for youth to excel. It may also be mentioned that the Sree Narayana Football Tournament had its beginning in the Police Maidan and had an impact in popularizing the game of football.
The goodwill the Football Front Free Coaching Center has earned over the years has as much to do with the football tradition of Kannur as with former players N.T. Karunakaran and K. Kunhiraman, who took the initiative to start it on May 14, 1978.
Jimmy George (Volleyball), V.P. Kuttykrishnan (Volleyball), M.D. Valsamma (Athletics), Mercy Kuttan (Athletics), Tintu Luka (Athletics), P.K. Yasodharan (Powerlifting) were a few notable Arjun Awardees to have arisen from this district.
In 1983, M. D. Valsamma received the highly venerable Padma Shri Award. T. P. P. Nair (Volleyball), Olympian Bobby Aloysius and Olympian Manuel Fredrick secured the Dhyan Chand Award.
More recently, Robert Bobby George gained acclaim as coach of the athletics contingent representing India at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. From 2000 onwards, this proud recipient of the Dronacharya Award coached his wife, Anju Bobby George, who is the only Indian medalist at the World Athletic Championship where the top eight best athletes took part in each event.
She also achieved bronze at the 2003 Paris Meet and a Gold medal at the 2005 Monaco Meet. She also took part in the 2004 Athens Olympics and managed fifth place at the event.
Up to this point, the fertile land of Kannur has given birth to nine Olympians and more than 100 internationals. Former Indian Hockey hoalkeeper Manuel Frederick (Munich, 1972) is the sole Keralite to have won an Olympic medal and he hails from Kannur.
The other Olympians are M. Devadas (Football, Rome, 1960), M.D. Valsamma (Athletics, Los Angeles, 1984 & Seoul, 1988), Mercy Kuttan (Athletics, Seoul, 1988), Bobby Aloysius (Athletics, Athens, 2004), P. T. Paulose (Athletics, Athens, 2004) and Tintu Luke (Athletics, London, 2012 & Rio de Janeiro, 2016) Jisna Mathew (Athletics Rio de Janeiro 2016).
To be continued...
