Friday 6th February 2026

After such a busy day yesterday, today was the complete opposite. I slept in a bit later and had breakfast at 09:00, as I had the whole of the morning off today because of the ongoing preparations for the Sports Meet this afternoon at 13:45. I attended this last year as Guest of Honour, even having to make a little speech. Ravi has let me off any official duties this year, for which I am extremely grateful, as it meant that I could just sit back and enjoy it.

I certainly enjoyed it enormously, from the processional march into the stadium following the school's brass band to the dissipation of the crowds of staff, students, and their parents at the end of the event in the evening. The weather made it all the more glorious, as it rained a little just before the event, followed by a slight drizzle, so it cooled down significantly, and by the evening it was extremely pleasant sitting outside on the sports field in relatively cool temperatures.

The Royal International School certainly knows how to put on a spectacle, and as well as the races on the track there were various martial arts and dance displays to enjoy, plus some scouts abseiling down one of the tallest buildings, which was quite spectacular. I particularly enjoyed the commentary team, as their enthusiasm hugely outweighs their ability to commentate on the events, but the spirit of it and passion behind it is truly amazing.

Dinura appeared to see me at the end of the event. He is the previous Head Boy, who I started doing some informal coaching with when I was here last February, then carried on meeting him online on a fairly regular basis throughout the year. He seems to be in a good place now academically, and I am hopeful that he will achieve the 'A' Level grades that he is capable of this year. I am going to have dinner with him and his family at their home next Thursday evening.

Today's photographs are all from today's amazing Sports Meet. The final four photographs, taken in the evening as the light was fading, and almost everyone had gone home are of the four houses that the students are allocated to - Darwin, Shakespeare, Einstein, and Lincoln - with each house tasked with competing to create the best house base for the Sports Meet, and on this occasion Einstein House won the fiercely contested competition.