Sir — The Indian striker, Sunil Chhetri, recently surpassed Lionel Messi to become the second-highest active international goal-scorer with 74 strikes. The 36-year-old footballer achieved this feat during the match against Bangladesh in the joint preliminary qualifying rounds for the 2022 Fifa World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup. This is a proud moment for Indian football. But this development also begs the question why, in spite of being home to world class athletes, India continues to trail behind others in all sports except cricket. It is time that the sports ministry introspects on this imbalance.

Anushua Chakraborty,
Calcutta

About time

Sir — It was not surprising to learn that the West Bengal government has decided to cancel the higher secondary and secondary examinations that were scheduled to be held this year in light of the pandemic (“Madhyamik, HS exams scrapped”, June 8). West Bengal saw an exponential rise in the number of Covid-19 infections after the assembly elections took place in eight phases. The chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, was rightly against the decision and had appealed to the Election Commission multiple times to shorten the process.

It is the students who have to pay the price for this misstep. Although the decision to scrap the exams was unavoidable, it has shattered the dreams of many, especially of those who were about to appear for their higher secondary examinations. But public health must be prioritized.

It was also heartening to see that Banerjee did not take this decision unilaterally but rather on the recommendation of an expert committee and public opinion. She has asked the exam-governing bodies to come up with an alternative method of assessment at the earliest and also to keep an eye on the decisions taken by the Central Board of Secondary Education so that students under the state board do not suffer in any way. Banerjee’s commitment to the well-being of the students must be lauded.

Shyamal Thakur,
Ramnagar, East Burdwan

Sir — While it is true that the government was left with no choice but to cancel the secondary and higher secondary examinations in light of the pandemic, this decision will, nevertheless, have long-term repercussions for our careers. The system of higher education in our country is structured in such a way that board examinations, especially Class XII results, determine the trajectory of the rest of our academic lives. The government must try to devise alternative ways of assessment that can help students academically progress in spite of these unprecedented disruptions.

Sourjya Rath,
Howrah

Think again

Sir — With less than 50 days to go, the Tokyo Olympics is hanging in the balance. On one hand, the president of the organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, has said the Games will go ahead as planned while on the other side, Shigeru Omi, head of a panel of experts that has been advising the Japanese government on its Covid-19 response, issued his strongest warning yet of the potential risks of holding the Games.

It may be possible to limit the spread of the disease among the audience by restricting attendance. But the sheer number of athletes, thousands of Olympic support staff including officials, judges, sports presentation personnel, housekeeping and grounds crew, technicians, translators and many more volunteers — reportedly at least 10,000 volunteers have quit ahead of the Games — would be difficult to manage. This will result in an influx of persons from outside the country and lead to unrestricted mingling which would undoubtedly turn the Olympics into a superspreader event.

It is obvious to all that by now too much money is at stake. It will be difficult to persuade the organizers to postpone the event once more and thus it is likely that the show will go on. But public health and safety must be prioritized. Polls have shown that a majority of people in Japan do not want the Olympics to take place. The organizers must respect the wishes of the people and cancel the event.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,
Faridabad