New minister wants a “sporting nation”

Warns unscrupulous officials he will not mollycoddle them as he takes his first step:

by Sajeewa Jayakody

New Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera may not be the firebrand he appears to be but he could mean serious business as he sets out to make Sri Lanka in his words a “sporting nation” while declaring that the Sports Law will be implemented to the last letter to avoid conflict with international governing bodies.

Claiming to still be the Kung Fu fighter he was as a teenager, Minister Jayasekera in an interview with the Sunday Observer said he will brook no nonsense and leave no room for lethargy while warning sports officials he will not mollycoddle them when it comes to meeting out justice and fair-play in the name of Sri Lanka sports.

“During the past few months several sports bodies (in Sri Lanka) have been threatened by the world associations following the appointment of interim committees. The only thing we have to do is to amend the Sports Law to stabilize the country’s sports identity. We have to face those challenges after solving our internal problems. I don’t want to see international bodies sending Sri Lanka sports associations into exile. If we implement our Sports Law, there won’t be any problems and even they (international organisations) will not be able to point a finger at us”, declared Jayasekera.

A former rural student who subsequently entered Law College in Colombo, Jayasekera played cricket, rugby and football besides doing the 100 and 200 metres while schooling at Hettipola Junior College, Harischandra College and Mayurapala College in the Kurunegala district. With such an upbringing and curiosity in sports, Jayasekera promised that he will not interfere with the independent running of democratically elected sports associations but at the same time will not allow unscrupulous and dubious administrators to have a field day as is currently the case.

“My ultimate goal is to make Sri Lanka a sporting nation and I will ensure the smooth functioning of independent sports associations but will not mollycoddle the wrong doers. I will take decisions on policy after passing the Sports Act in Parliament and that will be my priority”, said Jayasekera.

Even before taking his chair at the Sports Ministry, Jayasekera is well aware that as many as 26 sports associations in Sri Lanka are embroiled in disputes, corruption and backstabbing.

Asked what he proposes to do with the administration of cricket which is a hotbed of controversy as well as being the most scrutinized sports body in the country, Jayasekera said he will open a continuous dialogue with Sri Lanka Cricket administrators to ensure a dispute-free running of the game’s affairs.

“Cricket is a difficult task. I want to sit with them (officials) and have discussions before making any decisions”, said Jayasekera.

“As far as playing the game out in the middle, we need reserve players who are capable of replacing anyone in the line-up. If there’s no competition among players, the results will be poor. We should look into that.”

Jayasekera said it was refreshing to note instances where Sri Lanka Cricket was taking the game to schoolboys in the provinces which is one way of ensuring the country can unearth future players.

“It is very important to spot and nurture rural talent without letting it fade away and there have been many cases of players falling by the wayside”, noted Jayasekera.

On a personal note Jayasekera said he welcomed the government appointment with open arms.

“I am really happy to be the Sports Minister of Sri Lanka. It is challenging and I can play a big role. I will do this for the country. Sport has made me perfect and I am physically still at it”, he said.