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| Sunday, 30 March 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Poor performance by Police officials at athletic meet Police inter-division athletic meets of the past were meets that were well organised and eagerly looked forward to by not only police personnel but athletic fans alike. However, this year's meet held on the Police grounds from March 12 to 14 could not match up to the high standards of the past as there were some glaring errors in the souvenir and other areas and though the flags were up there was no music like in the past to give a festive air to the grounds. In the souvenir the arrival time of the chief guest was given as 1630 on page 21, but on page 86 of the same souvenir it was stated as 1600 hours. Then on the final day, the whole place took a sluggish look with no music at all. There were other mistakes in the souvenir which would have caused embarrassment to past and present athletes at the meet. The Police record for 400-metre hurdles is held by Nimal Fernando (Senior Supdt of Police retd) established in 1963 as 54.8 seconds. On page 90 of the same souvenir it is given as 54:80 secs and on page 52 the name of the previous winner is mixed-up and given as SI Nimal Fernando during 1963 with a timing of 26:24:00 and RPC 42227 C.K. Jayaratne as the record holder with a timing of 23:49:00 secs as in 2001. It was Nimal Fernando who established the 400-metre hurdles record of 54.8 seconds on 8.11.1964 while representing the Police Sports Club at the Open National Championships where foreign athletes too participated and that timing improved on his own Sri Lanka record timing of 55.4 seconds established on 5.4.1964. Then in the march past, it was a show of strength of the Police was this done to impress the chief guest who is the Minister in charge of the Police division. According to veteran Police personnel in years gone by the Police athletic meet and at sports festivals, be it Olympic Games or any other big event, it is only the athletes, sportsmen and sportswomen with their coaches and officials who participate in the march past. Then the 100 metres event is an event that produced the fastest runner at the meet and the invitees were denied the opportunity of witnessing the start of the men's and women's events because of the people that had invaded the grounds. Why weren't the spectators asked to get back ? Asks the veteran Police athletes. |
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