Sri Lanka is a sports conscious nation

Sri Lanka is a sports conscious nation and there have been instances where the local sportsmen and sportswomen have held their own in the past against their foreign counterparts. However, in the recent past the standard seems to have dropped down and the local sportsmen and women have not been able to keep up the tempo and match their counterparts in other parts of the world on the sports field. The Sunday Observer roving reporter Lesile Fernando spoke to some of the well-known figures who thrilled the sports fields in the not too distant past. Here's what they had to say...

Dervin Perera

Athletics

National Sports Policy is required for promotion and development of Sports in the country. The time is right to draft a policy to be drafted and to discuss and implement the programme said Dervin Perera, Deputy Director of Sports Development and President Athletic Association of Sri Lanka.

The Sports Ministry is satisfied with the performances of the sportsmen sportswomen locally. But internationally, we should go further up and prove the class in most of the sports. True in cricket and athletics we have fared well. In other sports too, the participants should follow the same pattern.

The Sports Ministry has assisted and supported most of the controlling bodies in the year 2006 and in the year 2007 they will receive the full support and encouragement from the Ministry of Sports.

Speaking on athletics Perera added that as a responsible national federation, they hope to start and build a long term plan. "My prayerful wish is that this year we would win more medals and would take part in the sports activities with a noble spirit of an honourable athlete."

Sri Lanka has participated in various international athletic meets last year. Our participation in Asian Games was much below expectation.

A point of satisfaction is that as expected, the second line of athletes whom the Athletic Association has groomed to do the honours performed well as expected at Asian Junior Championships.

The AA wishes to record with appreciation the efforts of some of the coaches who tirelessly worked to render their services to produce top athletes and motivate them to secure so many medals at the 10th South Asian Games, Marathons, Asian Grand Prix and Asian All-Star meets," said Perera.

The athletic chief added that the AA would provide all assistance possible with the minimum resources they have to the athletes and coaches.

R. M. Dhammika

Swimming

The Sports Ministry should get involved more in promoting swimming with the able assistance from Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union. (Interim Committee) The Sports Ministry also should organise regular residential swimming coaching clinics and coaching camps with the support of their District Sports Officers, said former women's long distance swimming champion R. M. Dhammika who hails from Ambalangoda.

"I started my swimming in rivers, lakes and in the sea with the help of former Dharmasoka College and Sri Devananda College swimmers. Most of them have swum for Sri Lanka. There is plenty of talent in the rural areas and villages. Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union also must conduct swimming clinics in the schools. Furthermore residential Aquatic Training Centres also must be opened and this will serve as preparation for swimmers for major local and international meets. She said the Sports Ministry can come forward and start a project of this nature, it will be bold and daring. The Sports Ministry and Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union should focus on training programmes for the swimmers and that will be the way to achieve the objectives, the former long distant swimmer said.

Dhammika who has represented the country in few foreign meets has been champion swimmer in the pool as well in the sea. She added that Sports Ministry and SLASU must arrange coaches for swimmers who could not afford to pay big sums to coaches.

My hope is that the Sports Ministry will get together with Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union and develop aquatic sports to the desired levels so that Sri Lanka can compete with other nations in the region.

Zal Chitty

Rifle shooting

National Rifle Association has received tremendous support from the Sports Ministry. Despite the ammunition arriving a bit late prior to the 10th South Asian Games, the National Rifle Association will have no worry for this year for ammunition. The Sports Ministry also have provided equipment and facilities to the NRA through the good effort of the National Olympic Committee said Zal Chitty who was a ace rifle shooter, having represented Sri Lanka at the Seoul Olympics.

Chitty added that through the great efforts of Rear Admiral Thisira Samarasinghe, President NRA the Sports Ministry along with Wasantha Karannagoda, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy made the new shooting range at Welisara a reality. The NRA also should be thankful to the Sports Ministry for receiving the latest equipment and also the necessary funds.

Chitty added that it should be noted that the Ministry of Defence has a control on purchase and issue of ammunition and weapons. They need to be licensed. Furthermore, Commercial Explosive and Fire Arm (CEFAP) procument unit controlled by Sri Lanka Navy could also be used to acquire weapons and ammunition with the approval of the Ministry of Defence.

This is the reason that most of the shooters are from the armed forces and police. There is a big restriction with regard to purchase of ammunition. But in the future the new range at Welisara will be made available for clubs and private shooters, said Chitty.

Chitty who has won the national championships six times said that the standard of shooting has developed under the national coach Rohan Nanayakkara. The young shooters Mangala Samarakoon, E. M. Senanayake, Kumara Gamage, U. M. Premalal, Sarath Chandrasiri, Nilmini Ilangaratne, Ruvini Abeynayake, A. Tennakoon, Damayanthi Wijeratne to name a few, are good but they should become top level shooters with a goal in their mind and step towards achieving the goal.

Speaking of the standard of shooting, India has climbed to the top along with USSR, USA and China. Chitty remembers in 1987, Rajasinghe brothers and he had the distinction of beating the Indians. They only fielded two or three shooters these days but India is a force to reckon with, having won several events at the world Championships.

K. K. Chandradasa Perera

Football

Football, the most popular game in the world, should start at grass root level in our country. So catch them young and offer them with proper training to reach the highest standard. Gone are the days when former national players in the late 1960s to 1970s started playing in height classes as 4' 6", 4' 9" and 5'1" tournaments. Even the players trained in the mornings and evenings and in rain or sun, said K. K. Chandradasa Perera who is the only player (at present) to represent Ceylon and Sri Lanka in the game.

Chandre, as he was intimately known from childhood, has played for Ratnam SC, Colombo Municipality (captained both teams) and also has represented Colombo FL, Government Services. He has represented Sri Lanka for several years, and in 1972, captained all Sri Lanka teams on tour in playing international matches. He said that those days players did not have the facilities what the present lot is enjoying. What is regretful to note is that the present lot have not produced results. The standard has drastically dropped, there is no discipline amongst the coaches. Players' devotion and love for game is lacking.

There were great coaches in the past to name a few late Neville Abeygunawardena, late Albert Fernando, late V. Nadarajha, late Lawrence Fernando - they all sacrificed their time and energy in imparting their valuable knowledge in coaching.

I don't think Sri Lanka could produce great players as Peter and Christopher Ranasinghe, Junaid, Khan, Laheer, Ibrahim, Karunapala, Andrew, Tom Deen, Synoon, Somapala, Fareed, Roy, Miskin, Sheriff, Premadasa, Aseez, Richard Ossen, Petha Premadasa, Soono, Basheer, Chella Ramasamy, Hashimdeen (Asia's best goalkeeper at that time) Yogaraja.

Chandre who is also the vice president of Sri Lanka Soccer Masters Association said that along with his President Tilak Peiris, yet another national player from St. Benedict's College, is willing to help the Football Federation of Sri Lanka with a football re-development plan and we will be meeting the FFSL officials soon. The main idea is to see a good Sri Lanka national team is formed and performing well in the future.

M. S. Halaldeen

Athletics

If we had the facilities the present lot enjoy, the athletes of the by-gone days would have achieved better results. During the period late 1950 to 1960, athletes had to go on their own way, no proper grounds, coaches, gymnasiums, food, travelling and even allowances and prize money for running. Sometimes spikes have to be borrowed to compete in meets, said the ace sprinter M. S. Halaldeen presently Head of the Sports Department of Wycherley International School.

Halaldeen who was a former Deputy Director of Sports at the Colombo Municipality, said since late, athletes to have shown improved performances. Our athletes should not directly aim in winning medals at the Olympics, but go step by step and win medals SAG, winmedals at Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and then work themselves to finally win medals at the Olympics.

Halaldeen also added that the present day athletes competed in plenty of international meets. But during their time the athletes took part only with India and few dual meets. Halaldeen remembers how the 4 x 100 metres and 4 x 200 metres relay quartet of himself, Ranjith Wijesekera, Yohan Rajaratnam and Bernard Atwell set new records at Indo-Ceylon dual athletic meet held in the late 1950's.

He also stressed that the AA of Sri Lanka together with Sports Ministry should also go towards the rural area and countryside and pick and select athletes for development pools.

Sports Ministry without wasting finances on unwanted events and sending more observers for international meets allocate finances to maintain athletic pools and coaching clinics.

Suranganie Wijendra

Netball

The game of netball is going at a low level and the netball Federation of Sri Lanka along with the Sports Ministry should make every effort to raise the standard, said the former Sri Lanka netball ace and athlete Suranganie Wijendra (nee de Silva).

Suranganie said that she climbed to the top in netball due to the guidance and assistance of late Miss Trixie Jayasuriya. She was also grateful to her athletic coach K. L. F. Wijedasa for his excellent support so that she was able to rise in the ladder of success.

Suranganie said that our netballers first should be motivated and they should not be discouraged. She lamented that the facilities for players are not satisfactory as in cricket and football. The Sports Ministry should support with necessary funds as finances are very important in promoting and uplifting a sport.

During the period of former chairperson of Netball Federation of Sri Lanka - Tamara Dharmakeerthi Herath, the game reached a good standard. In fact, she started a Development Pool on a very correct path. In fact Sri Lanka came out victorious at the Asian Junior and Senior Netball Championships and also did well at the World Netball Championships. But with the Sports Ministry appointing an Interim Committee, all development netball pools 'died' a natural death. In fact due to few individuals who were looking for personal glory, the sport suffered and the entire netball programme fell by the wayside and the young players suffered as a result. Suranganie added that the officials should be united and work as one unit for the development of netball in the country.

Everyone has a role to play if the game is to reach international standard. There must be unity in the work be it the coaches, players, officials, organisers, caterers, etc. Suranganie, a former Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya girl also had the distinction of captaining both netball and athletic teams of the University of Colombo. She also represented Hatton National Bank at netball and athletics. She was a national netball selector, vice-president of NFSL and managed the Sri Lanka netball team to Junior World Cup in Canada in 1976.