A sporting chance

Winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games by ‘golden boy’ Manju Wanniarachchi has rejuvenated the sports field in Sri Lanka. It is by no means an insignificant feat, considering that the last such ‘gold’ was won 72 years ago. He deserves all the accolades now being showered on him.

Sri Lanka has had quite a few sportsmen and sportswomen who have made their mark in the international sports arena. Duncan White, Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Darsha and Shehan Ambepitiya are some of the names that come to mind, not to mention our illustrious cricketers who have let their bat (and ball) do the talking around the cricketing world.

Now that Sri Lanka is in the fray to host next year’s Cricket World Cup as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games (in Hambantota), there should be a total drive to be a bigger sporting power in South Asia and Asia in general. Judging by some of our recent successes, this is not an impossible task. We have certainly done better in the sporting world than some countries which have far bigger populations. But there is plenty of room for improvement all around.

Whether we like it or not, we have to admit that cricket is our biggest game. We are in the top 10 Test playing nations, having won the World Cup once and are a widely respected and may I say, a feared side. Muttiah Muralitharan, with his 800 Test wickets, has established a world record which is highly unlikely to be broken for decades to come. It can be described as the only team sport in which Sri Lanka has achieved any measure of success.

Cricket in Sri Lanka had earned a tag as a sport that can only be played by the rich, mainly because of the high cost of gear. However, your average man on the street is a walking encyclopedia on the game, followed with an almost religious fervour by practically every Sri Lankan here and abroad. The simple fact, though, is that not everyone can play the game.

It is encouraging to note that rural schools are rising to prominence in school cricket. This was evident at this year’s Sunday Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year Awards, at which several schools from the outstations, especially the North and the East, figured prominently. They should be given more help and facilities. There is still a notion that one must play for a Colombo, Kandy, Galle or Matara school to get into the national side. The doors must be open for a cricketer from even the remotest school to enter the national team. This is now happening and the trend should continue.

It is not only cricket that should be nurtured at rural schools and sports organisations, but also more accessible sports such as basketball, volleyball, netball, soccer, rugby, hockey and track and field athletics. Due to the intense focus on cricket, these sports sometimes do not get the attention they deserve. It is not healthy from the point of view of sports development. One should remember that many sports stars including Susanthika Jayasinghe hailed from rural schools.

Sports academies should be established at provincial level to identify young sporting talent. This is how most of today’s top global sports stars began their meteoric rise. Rural schools must be given more assistance to develop their sports facilities and squads. More opportunities should be granted to them to play against the top Colombo and Kandy schools. This will encourage them and also give them more media attention. In fact, such matches should be televised islandwide if possible.

Some sports, such as rugby and tennis, have hardly made any inroads to rural areas. This should be rectified. Swimming is another sport that can be developed nationally, if more swimming pools and water sports facilities can be built islandwide. Every province must be equipped with a sports complex that can accommodate several indoor and outdoor sports, from chess to badminton. Cycling, boxing and martial arts can also be developed throughout the island. The Security Forces too have ample talent in many of these sports. They should be nationally recognised and given more facilities.

More attention should be paid to women in sport and sports played by women. Just ask even a pre-school child about the members of the national (men’s) cricket team and he or she will rattle off the names easily. On the other hand, ask even a cricket pundit about the members of the national women’s cricket team and all you get will be a puzzled look. Frankly, many people do not even know that such a team exists.

This situation has to be changed. Girls and women must be given more opportunities to participate in sports. Teachers and prefects of games in schools have a pivotal role to play in this endeavour. It will lead to a healthier generation of women. The media must try to give equal prominence to women’s sports teams and games. Netball, regarded as a women’s sport, must be introduced to more girls’ schools islandwide.

No sports team or individual sports personality can succeed without good coaching. There should be more qualified coaches for all sports at all levels from school to national level. The same goes for umpires, referees and other officials.

Reform is also called for in the case of the administration of certain sports. There should be more dynamism and innovation in sports administration. We can learn many lessons from foreign sports bodies in this regard.

It is generally acknowledged that there is no sport without competitors or players. But we often do not think of the other side of the coin - the spectator or sports fan. Some sports stadia and arenas lack even the basic facilities for sports fans. This too should be rectified if we are to become a sporting power. The Commonwealth Games bid has given us an ideal opportunity to take these factors into consideration.

Sports are good for everyone, young and old, male or female. A sound sports base is a sine quo non for any country. Sri Lanka must thus develop an overall strategy for sports development that will harness latent sporting talent to achieve more golden feats.