20 days more for Games to start:

SA Games have grown - 5 events to 23 events

by Leslie FERNANDO

SOUTH ASIAN GAMES: The 11th edition of the South Asian Games to be held in just 20 days from now in Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 29 to February 9, is the largest one in terms of number of events. This time, there are 23 disciplines. When the first SAF Games was held in 1984 Kathmandu, Nepal, there were only five events. Games were then called the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games until the member countries decided to change it to South Asian Games only a couple of years later.

The somewhat sad aspect of the SAF Games so far is that while it had grown in terms in size, the competitive elements have been missing. The SAF saga has been that of total Indian dominance. That unhindered Indian leadership came for slight threat only in Colombo and Islamabad editions. Even though the Indians are expected to ride over their opponents this time too, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are showing signs of emerging from the shadows.

Facilities

The competition may not be world-class but one can be rest assured that facilities and other sporting paraphernalia available to the players will be nothing short of international standard. The existing stadia and the newly built ones inaugurated by General Abdul Mubeen, Asian Olympic Committee and Bangladesh Olympic Committee Chairman recently are resplendent feathers in sporting cap of the country.

The 23 events will be spread out around various venues in and around the Dhaka.

Athletics, as usual, will be the cynosure of all events. The Indian team, having had a pre-games trial meet at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium itself, is fancied to win most of the laurels. However, the Pakistani middle distance runners and field events specialists along with Sri Lankan men and women sprinters will give the Indians a run for their money.

Among the other events, tennis, football and hockey are sure to draw the spectators interest.

Sports lovers are eagerly awaiting the Indo-Pak clash in hockey. Keen competition will also be in the boxing ring with the competition primarily coming from the Pakistanis.

Conrad in good form

The swimming events will see Sri Lankans coming into the limelight. Most of their medals in the last two games have come from the pool. The most experienced swimmer Conrad Francis who has swum in two Olympics in Athens and Sydney and who is back from Australia, is expected to perform well. Conrad who missed the Colombo Games in 2006, was the 'star' in the 2004 games in Islamabad, Pakistan winning two gold, two silver and 3 bronze medals. Conrad established two SAF records in the 50 metres and 100 metres butterfly stroke and holds both new records as yet.

He is tipped to be overall captain of the 261-member Sri Lanka contingent for the Dhaka Games.

Another fine swimmer with lot of international experience is Heshan Unamboowe of Trinity College together with Minuruwani Samarakoon of Gateway College, Kandy and Mineka Karunaratne of Colombo International School will be the other medal-winning prospects. Heshan, Minuruwani and Mineka also have won medals at foreign meets.

Top swimmers Mayumi Raheem who won ten medals participating in ten events, 3 gold and seven silver, Andrew Abeysinghe - two gold medals and Daniel Lee - three silver medals in the 10th Games held in Colombo 2006, will not be taking part as they are involved in their studies in USA, Singapore and Australia respectively.

Host Bangladesh can fancy its chances in football, Nepali shooters, should they perform according to form, may return with a bagful of medals.

Maldives are yet to strike a gold in any of the Games before, should consider themselves lucky if they rewrite the script in Dhaka. All in all, the 11th SAG will certainly kindle the passions of the sports loving citizens of Bangladesh.

8th SAF Games Kathmandu - 1999

Fifteen years since the inaugural SAF Games, it came to Nepal once again when the eighth edition was worked off in Kathmandu from September 25 to October 4th 1999.

As the number of disciplines soared up to 12. India won a record 197 medals out of which 102 were gold. Hosts Nepal had their best performance to finish second with 31 gold medals while Sri Lanka were a poor third with only 16 golds. But Pakistan suffered the biggest setback in Kathmandu with only ten gold medals and were placed fourth.

The track honours were shared by Sri Lanka's Damayanthi Darsha (women's 100 - 11.19 secs, 200 m 22.68 secs and 400 m 52.11 secs), and India's Sunati Rani (women's 1,500 m, 5,000 m and 10,000 m) who bagged three gold medals each.

H.R. Pradeep Kumara (400 m 45.77 secs), Kumara Vellasamy (800 m 1.51.68 secs), 4x400 m relay mens team 3.05.28 secs, Sarath Prasanna (marathon 2.19.32 secs), Mahesh Perera (110 m hurdles 14.22 secs), Ashok Kumara (400 m hurdles 50.02 secs), P.K.S. Rohitha (long jump 7.76 metres), Sriyani Kulawansa (100 m hurdles 13.12 secs) were the other Sri Lanka athletes to win gold. S.P.R. Kankamel won a gold in boxing light middle weight 71 kg.

Bangladesh's soccer dream finally came good as they emerged SAF champions beating Nepal in the final. Hosts Nepal won 14 of the 15 karate gold medals. Except for Sri Lankan Lucky Rajasinghe's feat in 50 m small bore event India won all other 15 men's shooting finals.

Millet Nasha won a record six gold medals for India in women's swimming while her teammates Senthil Kumar and Deepak Singhe bagged two gold medals each in men's events. After making a clean sweep in weight lifting with all eight gold medals, India also emerged champions in both men's and women's volleyball.

Countrywise medal summary

India -102 gold, 58 silver, 37 bronze.

Nepal -31 gold, 10 silver, 24 bronze.

Sri Lanka -16 gold, 42 silver, 62 bronze.

Pakistan -10 gold, 36 silver, 30 bronze.

Bangladesh -2 gold, 10 silver, 35 bronze.

Bhutan -1 gold, 6 silver, 7 bronze.

Maldives -4 bronze.