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| Sunday, 26 June 2005 |
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Straight talk by Lal Gunesekera Minister, President of SLAA, cannot questions be asked at meetings? The battle between the President of the Sri Lanka Athletic Association (SLAA), Janaka Bandara Tennekoon, who is also the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, and Derwin Perera, who was the defeated candidate at the SLAA annual general meeting in March, yet continues. Perera, who is also the President of the Athletic Coaches Association (ACA), has appealed against the decision of the Colombo District Court to remove the injunction order of the AAA President. The Appeal Court is to deliver its verdict, and another of Perera's cases has also come up in the Colombo District Court. At an Executive Committee meeting of SLAA recently, which lasted nearly four hours, one Karunaratne Samarasinghe, was nominated to be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The minutes of the previous meeting too was disputed and Treasurer, H. W. Nimalasiri, was asked by Minister Tennakoon to either "sit down or get out" for questioning certain activities of the SLAA Secretary Prema Pinnawala, regarding the purchasing of some air tickets. The Exco also decided to call for tenders for its liquor bar at its headquarters. It was also alleged that certain persons had broken into the SLAA headquarters and removed some files and CDs too. Many discussions were held by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Jeevan Kumaratunga, with Minister Tennakoon and Derwin Perera to settle the row between them, but to no avail. High time this is settled once and for all as it is the sport and athletes that suffer in the end. Cockeyed tennis Many schools have protested at the manner the Girls' School Tennis Championship was conducted recently at the Queen's Club courts. It was alleged that the tournament rules were not adhered to from the start. Although five matches were to have been played by each age group for specified points, certain schools were asked to play three matches and points given to the losing side as well as for unplayed matches. Other allegations include that the teachers were interfering while play was going on, scheduling of matches were cockeyed, confusion in the points system and not been possible to get the results of the ties clearly, certain teams informed that they were "out" of the tournament, but subsequently told the following day that they had matches and as a result 'walkovers' had to be conceded much to the ambarrasement of the schools and children. The organisers did not provide balls with two or three different types been used. There was also no referee. Over to you, the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA). What have you to say? It's high time that you run this tournament yourself again. Lips are sealed The national netball poolists now in training for the 6th Asian Championship to be staged in Singapore from September 5 to 12 were given strict orders not to speak to media personnel at any cost by none, other than the President of the Netball Federation (NFSL) Mrs. Tamara Dharmakirthi Herath, in the presence of re-instated national coach Lourdes Jayasekera and Mrs. Olivia Gamage, who is tipped to be the manageress of the side to Singapore. Perhaps this came about after Mrs. Jayasekera was alleged to have "leaked" certain information to the media and was removed from her post by the previous administration under Mrs. Shiranthi Rajapakse, wife of Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapakse. Remember Mrs. Herath, if there is a will, there is a way. Nothing could stop media personnel from getting "inside" information. Who is he? Who is the Sri Lanka Athletic Association (SLAA) official who took his 'better half' along with him for the London Marathon without the approval of the SLAA Executive Committee? He has supposed to have got the approval from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The organisers had given US Dollars 1000 to this official. Sri Lanka were represented by Anuradha Indrajith Cooray with Lal Jayasekera as his coach. "HU" on the mat The Chairman of the Sugathadasa National Stadium Complex Authority (SNSCA), Gamini Nettikumara, has obtained the approval of the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Jeevan Kumaratunga, to recover the sum of Rs. 350,000 due to the SNSCA from its controversial Director, Cmdr H. U. Silva for rent, electricity and water charges from the day Silva came into occupation of his quarter's within the Complex. He has started paying rent only from March this year and when is he going to make the balance payments? I also understand that the annual increment for 2005 of the Director has been stopped for not providing the documents of Cabinet approval for his appointment as required by the Establishment Code. He has also failed to produce the original qualification certificates for scrutiny by the management. There are no such documents in his personal file. How come? He was appointed during the tenure of S. B. Dissanayake, who was then the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports. I also understand that the National Olympic Committee (NOC), who occupies part of the Complex, has been paying the SNSCA only a meagre sum of Rs. 5000 per month as rent, while the electricity and water bills are met by the SNSCA. What a pittance for the luxury they enjoy. The Chairman of the SNSCA must be congratulated for putting in order the electronic timing gear at the Sugathadasa Stadium at a cost of Rs. 500,000 needed for track events. Well done, and I hope, that all other equipment needed for the Swimming Pool etc too will be repaired and put in order soon. Warne's sexcapade The world record holder for the highest number of wickets in Test cricket, Shane Warne of Australia, has been up to his antics again. He is captaining Hampshire in the England County Championships. England's Kevin Pieterson, who plays under Warne for Hampshire, and his girl friend were "partying" with Warne, when the Aussie had met a 25-year-old woman. The four of them ended up in Pietersen's apartment, where it was revealed that Warne had stripped naked and "begged" for sex from his new found acquaintance. She had given in to his pleas. Warne was also involved in a sex scandal in 2000 when playing for Hampshire for the first time. He was then alleged to have left "dirty messages" on the answer phone of Donna Wright, a nurse, whom he had met at a night club. He was stripped of his Australian vice-captaincy. Then on a tour of South Africa, he was alleged to have had an affair with a South African woman, and there was also a story of him being involved in a three-month affair with a married stripper named Angela Gallagher in Melbourne. When found out, Warne and his wife Simone fled to Spain to save their marriage. Earlier, Warne also sent text messages on his mobile phone to another woman when touring New Zealand. Apart from Warne's "sex escapades", he was fined together with Mark Waugh in 1995 after been found guilty of involvement with an Indian bookmaker. He was later suspended for one year for taking a banned drug just before the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. His brother Jason, who is his manager, defended his illustrious brother against "publicity seeking individuals", while even Cricket Australia's CEO, James Sutehrland, says that CA does not want to get involved in Warne's latest escapade as Warne was not a member of the Australian side when the incident occurred. Surely? Assistant to Moody The Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are in the process of interviewing certain persons for the post of assistant coach to Tom Moody, who arrived in the country last week to take up his duties. They have had discussions with former Sri Lanka paceman Rumesh Ratnayake, who is a Development Officer of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in Bhutan. Earlier, the name of another former Sri Lanka players, Roy Dias, was
mentioned. Dias was Nepal's national coach. |
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