Sports compulsory on President’s directive
by S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen – Kandy Sports Correspondent
”It is the vision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to make sports
compulsory for schoolchildren after the necessary medical tests. They
can select the sports of their choice. If you cannot run or throw the
Shot Put, do not despair. There are many other sports for you to select
from,” said the Chief Minister of the Central Province Sarath Ekanayake.
He made these observations when he addressed the parents and
schoolchildren of Vidyartha College, Kandy, at their annual Sports meet
held at the Bogambara Stadium, Kandy on Friday afternoon.
Elaborating further he said that sports teaches us many things such
as team work, leadership, accept both victory and defeat in the same
vein and above all gets the best in a child. When this child leaves the
school and enters the society he will be a responsible citizen as sports
had laid an excellent foundation.
It was with this objective that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had
brought a rule that a school going child should participate at least in
one sports in school and this sport will be of his or her choice.
Speaking of sports at Vidyartha College said they had produced
excellent boxers and Manju Wanniarachchi is one of them, then they have
excelled in table tennis, cadeting, rugby and chess making them a
household name.
Mahinda House won the inter-house championship with 264 points and
Naren House finished a close runner-up with 258 points. Wickrema House
finished third and finishing one point behind in fourth position was
Parakrama House with 202 points. |