Musical chairs is now a sport in Maharashtra

State adds hopscotch, jump rope to list of athletic pursuits; will promote them at school level.

Musical chairs, that dizzying pastime of raucous birthday parties and sprawling picnics, has been declared a sport. It is one among approximately 100 additions to the list of officially recognised sports drawn up by the state government.

According to an official at the Directorate of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS), musical chairs, and other such "disciplines", having received recognition from the government, will be integrated "on a trial basis" into the roster at sports meets organised at the school level over the next three years. A functionary at the directorate told Mumbai Mirror he was "confident the government will be convinced to disburse grants to encourage the growth of these sports" after the three-year period has ended.

Hopscotch, jump rope and rope skipping are three other everyday diversions that feature in the DSYS list - the last two recreational activities are essentially identical, requiring the participant to skip over a cord vigorously, but have been deemed separate and will each have an independent office bearer responsible for its advancement.

Musical chairs has had a group of enthusiasts lobbying for official recognition for a significant amount of time. "We have been conducting a competition for the last ten years," Maharashtra Musical Chair Association (MMCA) secretary Tukaram Thombare told Mumbai Mirror. "Now we have to manage this as a sport for three years. If the government feels we have done a good enough job, it has promised us the same facilities and grants that other sports are granted."