A Two-Day National Conference on Physical Education and Sports was organized by the Department of Physical Education & Sports in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Goa on April 5th and 6th, 2023. The theme of the Conference was ‘Enhancing life through Physical Education and Sports.’ The event was graced by the presence of the Honorable Vice Chancellor of Goa University, Prof. Harilal Menon, as the Chief Guest. The Keynote Speaker was Prof. Vivek Pandey, Honorable Vice Chancellor (Officiating) & Head, Dept. of Exercise Physiology, Laximibai National Institute of Physical Education and Sports, Gwalior.
The Inaugural Function of the conference commenced with the lighting of the lamp and an invocation song. Prof. Prita Mallya, the Principal, warmly welcomed the attendees and emphasized the significance of sports in cognitive development. The Chief Guest, Honorable Vice Chancellor of Goa University, Prof. Harilal Menon, delivered a speech where he encouraged researchers to explore various interdisciplinary aspects of sports research. He also highlighted the different types of research that can be conducted in the field of sports, providing valuable insights to the audience.
The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Vivek Pandey, who spoke on the topic of ‘Exercise and Sports Physiology.’ Prof. Pandey’s speech was informative and thought-provoking, leaving the audience with a better understanding of exercise and sports physiology.
The conference had a Plenary session 1, which was conducted by the Resource Person, Dr. Dayanand Sansanwal, Former Head and Dean, Dept. of Education, Devi Ahilya University, Indore. The topic of the session was Variables and Title Writing in Research, where Dr. Sansanwal explained the criteria for selecting a research topic and the different steps involved in research. He also highlighted the errors that are commonly committed in research and explained the various types of hypotheses and variables with illustrations from Shodhganga. Plenary session 2 was conducted by Dr. Sam Braganza, College Director of Physical Education & Sports, SSA Government College of Arts & Commerce- Pernem. Dr. Braganza delivered his address on the topic ‘Values to value: Changing Facets of Sports.’ He expressed his concern over the changing attitudes towards sports and how the true value of sports is getting diluted.
After the Plenary sessions, there were two technical sessions. Technical Session 1(offline) and Technical Session 2 (online). The offline session was chaired by Prof. Vivek Pandey and co-chaired by Dr. Rajan Mathew, College Director of Physical Education & Sports, Government College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Quepem Goa. Eleven papers were presented in diverse fields like law, education, sports, yoga, and more. The online technical session was chaired by Dr. Suman Pandey, Assistant Professor in Physical Education at Savitribai Phule Pune University. Eight papers were presented on various topics related to sports and physical education.
Day Two of the Conference began with Plenary session 3 which was conducted by Dr. Suman Pandey. She gave an inspiring speech on “Exercises for Holistic Wellness.” She discussed the four dimensions of wellness and emphasized the importance of a diverse range of exercises for physical, mental, and social well-being.
In Plenary session 4, Dr. Devashish Bagchi, College Director of Physical Education and Sports, Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science spoke about the ‘Impact of Physical Education on Academic Achievement & Cognitive Performance – An Overview.’ He discussed the benefits of physical activity and the Gurukul system of education, which is an unstructured but scientifically designed way of learning. Finally, Mr. Balachandra Jadar, University Assistant Director of Physical Education and Sports, Goa University conducted the 5th Plenary session on the topic ‘Physical Education: Need of the hour’ where he spoke about the need for physical education at various stages of an individual’s education. He also expressed hope for better days for sports in the near future.
On Day 2, technical session 1 took place in Hall No. 2 in offline mode. The session was chaired by Dr. Dayanand Sansanwal. Mr. Siddesh Kesarkar, Assistant Director of Academics at DHE, Porvorim, Goa, served as the Co-Chairperson. The session featured 6 presentations covering diverse areas in sports and physical education.
The Valedictory function was held at 4:00 pm, with Prof. F M Nadaf, Deputy Director of Higher Education, Goa as the Chief Guest. Principal Prof. Prita Mallya spoke about the importance of physical activity as an investment for long-term health benefits and expressed her appreciation for the diverse range of topics discussed at the conference. The Conference Coordinator Dr. Ajinkya Kudtarkar presented the Conference report, and the Chief Guest congratulated the College for organizing a conference in Sports Sciences despite being a Commerce College. He also highlighted the negative effects of electronic gadgets on human health and encouraged the audience to engage in physical activity. The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Mr. Saurabh Raikar, Instructor in Physical Education.
