Drug testing at Rugby Asiad in Colombo for first time

By Lal Gunesekera

Anti-drug control methods will be adopted for the first occasion in Sri Lanka where rugby is concerned at the 20th Singer Asian Championships to be staged in Colombo from November 17 to 25 where games are to be played at three venues - Longden Place, Sugathadasa Stadium and Royal College Sports Complex.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), Dilroy Fernando, told the Sunday Observer that the International Rugby Board (IRB) are spending for these anti-dope control equipment and hope to get some of Sri Lanka’s own medical personnel too involved in the process. The Lankan medical team will include Dr. Sivali Jayasinghe of the Sports Medicine Unit of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Fernando further said that there will be 17 games at the Singer Asiad, including the three Rugby World Cup (RWC) Asian qualifiers - Japan vs Hong Kong on November 19, Hong Kong vs South Korea on November 22 and Japan vs South Korea on November 25. The winner will proceed to the RWC finals in France next year (2007). These RWC qualifying games are also in the Cup category of the Singer Asiad.

Countries in the Bowl/Plate category are Arabian Gulf, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, China, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Thailand and India.

The draw has been finalised and is to be released this week. The Cup (which is the RWC qualifier too) final and Plate final is to be worked off on November 25, while the Bowl final is scheduled for November 22.

He also said that the IRB will be sending three referees to Colombo and the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) six. The balance referees will be from Sri Lanka Rugby Referees Society (SLRRS), while each participating country will be bringing along with them a touch judge. There will be Match Commissioners from overseas at every game.

The selectors have named a 30-member national pool in preparation for Singer Asiad, but CR’s Savantha de Saram, who has been picked for one of the second-rowers slots, has indicated that he is not available. Also, another CR player, veteran striker Viraj Prasanna, is also to hang up his boots after the Asiad.

Prop forwards: Shamil Mohamed, Danushka Boteju (CR & FC), Jayantha Ranaweera, Nilan Ekanayake (CH & FC), M. Jehan (Kandy), Second-Row: Anurudha Dharmatilleke, Sevantha de Saram (CR & FC), Senaka Bandara (Kandy), Ravi Jayasuriya (Havelocks), Third-Row: Dilanka Wijesekera (CH & FC), Sean Wijesinghe, Imran Bisthamir, Danushka Perera, Dilip Selvam, Dushan Lewke (Kandy), Pavithra Fernando (CR & FC), Scrum Half: Amjad Buksh, Zulki Hameed (CR & FC), Fly-Half: Fazil Marija (Kandy), Asanga Rodrigo (CR & FC). Wingers: Medeesha Sliva (CH & FC), Sanjeewa Jayasinghe (Kandy), Centres: Sajith Mallikaratchi, Chamara Vidanage (Kandy), Mohamed Sheriff (CR & FC), Full-Back: Nalaka Weerakoddy, Eranga Weerakoddy (Kandy), T. A. Silva (Army).

Colombo hosted the Asiad twice previously in 1974 at Longden Place and 1990 at the Sugathadasa Stadium.