Asian Youth Games: Pratika Yashaswi

Name: Pratika Yashaswi
CG: 2B/08



In AYG, I had novel experiences that were truly memories for life. I have never fathomed just how much work and planning went into events like this and every moment that I was involved in the AYG, I had the opportunity to stop, think and revel. I was so proud to be contributing to such a large scale event as AYG was really overwhelming and the fact that I'd finally get to try a hand at reporting was part of the charm.

I will never forget the exhilaration that I felt as I stood and watched the assembly of over 40 countries at the opening ceremony, many of which I considered exotic. I was exposed to the variety of cultures that they represented, and learnt more about them. Whether it was the thrill of watching international sports, or whether it was meeting people, being there and seeing it for real was so different from watching it on TV.



It wasn’t all a cakewalk. There were pre-AYG articles to be done and meetings to attend. It was rather overwhelming at first, but we got used to it. During the games we had to be fast and meet deadlines that were only a few hours after the games. We had to be aware of whatever was going on so we could act accordingly. We had to hunt for athletes to get quotes from them, at the same time coping with the language barrier and trying to get the most out of the little time we had before they lost their patience.

However the seemingly hard work was completely manageable because the people I met there were amazing. They made me want to do better and to be fully into this job doing my best. By the last day of athletics, the photographers and reporters had formed a great team together and it only hit me properly on that day that it was the last day we'd be working together. We all came from a variety of backgrounds and were of different ages, and yet it was only such a short span of time that it took to connect.

Throughout the course of the AYG, I was too excited to sleep every night after returning from a game. I couldn’t believe how much value the experiences added to my life. Every day after the games, I was left with a fuzzy feeling. This was a mixture of joy and a sense of achievement. Time flew so fast because I was on a thrilling adventure and I had thoroughly enjoyed it. My participation in the AYG is one of the best decisions I have ever made to date.