Six days more to go for the Games:

Athlete Chaminda Wijekoon leads large Lankan contingent at SAG

by Leslie Fernando

SOUTH ASIAN GAMES: The Sri Lankan contingent comprising 422 members, including competitors, managers, coaches, Sports Ministry and NCC Officials together with the electronic and print media personnel will leave on 28th January to participate at the 11th edition of the South Asian Games to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 29 to February 9.

This edition of the SAG is the biggest one in terms of number of events. This time, there are 23 disciplines. When the first SAF Games was organised in 1984 at Kathmandu, there were only five events. Sri Lankans will compete in all 23 disciplines-archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, volleyball, cricket (under-21-Twenty20) cycling, football, golf, handball, hockey, judo, kabaddi, karate, shooting, swimming, squash, table tennis, taekwonodo, wushu, weightlifting, wrestling.

Chaminda Wijekoon, a very experienced long distance runner who won the gold medal in the 1,500 metres in Colombo Games in 2006, will be the overall Sri Lanka captain, said Gamini Jayasinghe, Chef-de-Mission.

Jayasinghe added that the Sports Ministry together with the National Olympic Committee have provided all facilities to the Sri Lanka participants since they were selected to various training pools.

Our competitors’ aim is to do better than that did in 2006 colombo Games. Now all the sportsmen and women, coaches and officials must work diligently to bring victory to the country, Gamini Jayasinghe said. He added that sport instils discipline in the participants. It teaches all to accept victory and defeat. Everyone irrespective of his status has to perform in a team and thereby bring unity to our country. Gamini said that the countdown is just 6 days more to go (the start-29th January) and he wished all the competitors well.

10th SAG 2006 in Colombo

From 1991, the South Asian Games came to Sri Lanka once again in 2006 when the 10th edition was worked off in Colombo from August 18 to 28.

For the third time India increased the gold tally over a century. They bagged a total of 115 gold medals, 68 silver and 45 bronze while Pakistan finished second with 41 gold and Sri Lanka third with 36 gold.India once again showed total dominance in the Colombo Games, after the inaugural SAF Games in 1984, in Nepal, the Indians retained the overall title without much opposition from the other seven participating nations. India fielded 289 competitors in 20 disciplines.

It was a special feature for India to win 115 gold, 68 silver and 45 bronze medals and also to be in front with a big lead of 74 gold medals ahead of Pakistan’s 41 gold. For India, it was the higest gold medals tally in the history of SAG. For Sri Lanka, it was 5 gold medals, difference for the second spot, Pakistan 41 gold and Sri Lanka 36 gold. The runners-up Pakistan with 288 competitors won 41 gold, 69 silver, 36 bronze while Sri Lanka won 36 gold, 62 silver and 75 bronze, offering stiff opposition. Sri Lanka was represented by 376 competitors, the highest number of participants.

According to Mahinda Chinthanaya programme, all Sri Lanka gold medal winners received Rs. 100,000 each.

Except for India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan (in the South Asian Region) Afghanistan showed good progress in 2006 Games. The newcomers to SAG, Afghanistan joined the games in 2004 in Pakistan and won 1 gold, 3 silver and 28 bronze. But Afghanistan put up an improved performance collecting 6 gold, 7 silver and 14 bronze to start a new chapter to go forward. Their challenge enabled to beat the experienced nation like Bangladesh. Afghanistan jumped into fifth position in medal tally and Bangladesh dropped to sixth place.

Lankan athletes

Sri Lanka athletes performed remarkably well winning 14 gold medals one less than the Indians. Amongst the Lankan athletes Susanthika Jayasinghe after long lapse and Rohan Pradeep Kumara stole the limelight. Susanthika won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay while Rohan won the 200m, 400m and 4x400m relay.

In addition, Sri Lanka won 5 gold medals in swimming with Mayumi Raheem being the ‘star’ bagging 3 gold in 50m breast, 100m breast, 200m breast. In cycling, Sri Lanka had 5 gold, 4 gold in Wushu, 3 gold in karate, 2 golds each in shooting and taekwondo and one gold in weightlifting.

The powerful Indian contingent won gold medals in 16 disciplines of the 20. India won the most number of 32 gold, in swimming, 19 golds, in shooting. India went without gold in soccer, hockey, weightlifting and wrestling. Afghanistan won 6 gold in karate, taekwonodo and wrestling.

Bhutan and Maldives were the two nations who failed to win gold. Maldives with 51 competitors did not win a single medal at the Colombo Games 2006. In the history of SAF Games since 1984, Maldives have won only one silver and five bronze. According to SAG organisers football, cricket, archery, judo, cycling and wushu will be held outside the city of Dhaka, the other events athletics, swimming, badminton, basketball, boxing, golf, handball, hockey, kabaddi. karate, shooting, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling will be held within the city limits. The opening of the Games Village on January 26, the opening ceremony of the 11th SAG on January 29 and closing ceremony of the Games on February 9. The opening and closing ceremonies will be at the National Stadium in Dhaka.

The countrywise medal tally of the 10th SAG - India-115 golds, 68 silver, 45 bronze (first), Pakistan-41 gold, 43 silver, 69 bronze, Sri Lanka-36 gold, 62 silver, 75 bronze, Nepal-9 gold, 13 silver, 29 bronze, Afghanistan-6 gold, 7 silver, 15 bronze, Bangladesh-3 gold, 14 silver, 32 bronze, Bhutan-3 silver, 10 bronze, Maldives - no medals.