Calcutta: Students of ICSE schools will get a chance to compete with each other in football, cricket,  basketball, athletics, carrom, chess and a host of other sports.

The Council for the India School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) will host a multi-tier national level sporting event every year with all its affiliated schools to identify young talents.

The Council Games will be conducted at three levels — zonal, regional and national, said the principal of an ICSE school. A team handpicked from the winners of the all-India event  will represent the council at the National School Games organised by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) of the ministry of youth affairs and sports.   
 
Gerry Arathoon, the CISCE secretary and chief executive, has convened a meeting with the principals of 370-odd ICSE/ISC schools on Friday to discuss ways to ensure maximum participation by students.

Nineteen sports popularly played in ICSE/ISC schools have been selected for the tournament. They include football, cricket, hockey, badminton, table tennis, lawn tennis, basketball, volley ball, athletics, kho-kho, karate, carrom, yoga, taekwondo, kabaddi, skating and chess, a source said. 

The participants will be divided into two categories — under 17 and under 19, a source said.

The CISCE has recently become a member of the School Games Federation of India and the recognition has encouraged the council to organise the games.

State education boards, the CBSE and some private educational groups are members of the federation.