Kandy needs venues for sports activities

By Hafiz Marikar

GROUNDS NEEDED: All sports activities in Kandy today are popular but constrained with lack of facilities for another ground, especially for sports like football, hockey and athletics. Thanks to the officials of Kandy Sports Club that they have turned their rugby grounds at Nittawela to International Standards.

Today Nittawela can be rated as one of the best rugby playing grounds in the country duly got up to International standard, this venue helps most schools and clubs to play rugby matches, in addition several rugby academies are conducted under the rugby development programs by the Central Province Rugby Football Union.

Bogambara Stadium, was a tower of strength which helped most of the sports activities in the district when it was earlier under the Kandy Municipal Council administration but at present it is out of bounce for sports like football, hockey and athletics as it under the purview of the Sugathadasa Stadium Complex, Colombo with the ground fee equalent to five star hotel rates. As such most of the clubs are finding it difficult to play their scheduled matches in lieu of the high charges.

This ground which was turned into a sports stadium in 1972 during the tenure of the then Special Commissioner the late M.B. Samarakoon, with invaluable support and encouragement of sports promoters of the past of late E.L. Senanayake, a well-known Political figure of Kandy, others were Noel Wimalasena, he too was a politician, E.W. Balasuriya who helped financially, Shelton Ranaraja - one time a famous politician, in 1972 the project’s media sponsors were the Daily Mirror with valid inspiration from the late M.E. Marikar, late Dr. C.D.L. Fernando, late A.M.I.N. Marikar, late M. Shanmugam - Superintendent of Police - Central Province, all of whom contributed immensely with responsibility towards the turning of Bogambara to a stadium into what it is now.

Bogambara Stadium could be considered as one of the oldest in the country, which was converted from a lake to a grounds in 1897. According to the history, during the early years it was an entertainment site for carnivals, games of skill, circuses and gymkhanas during the colonial rule Gradually Kandy Sports Club and few football Clubs like Young’s Stars S.C. Young Wanders SC, Green Field SC, and schools St. Anthony’s, Trinity, Sri Rahula, St. Paul’s (Now known as Sri Sumangala) Dharmaraja and Kingswood made it their venue to conduct their fixtures for cricket, football, rugger, hokey and athletics. It was also used for National sports like Elle, Bahu, Thattu and Gudu.

Kandy Municipal Council was the sole owners of the grounds, they helped schools and clubs in a big way, likewise these schools and clubs helped them to maintain the grounds with no adverse complaints whatsoever, unlike now when the grounds is used sparingly but have criticism some way. Either through frustration of being deprived of the grounds.

In 1998 the Government of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga took over the grounds and the agreement was that after the development the Stadium will be handed back to the original owners - The Kandy Municipal Council. But regrettably, it never happened.

The reason for taking over the grounds at that time was to renovate and conduct the celebrations of the Independence day in that year, but unfortunately due to the Maligawa bomb blast, the program was cancelled.

The people who took over, failed to keep up to their promise, and today the poor sportsmen are suffering, specially footballers, hockey players, athletes and fitness runners.

The Asgiriya Stadium owned by Trinity College helps cricket in a big way, let it be a school, club or Sri Lanka Cricket assignment.

St. Anthony’s College grounds at Katugastota is used by the school as it’s within the school premises, all their inter-school matches, sports activities are held there with the grounds released for their Old Antonians Sports Club too.

The Lake View grounds owned by Dharmaraja College, and re-developed is now a complete cricket playing grounds, The Rajans play all their school matches there.

Kingswood College grounds at Randles Hill, was developed few years back but still the ground is not yet ready for sports engagements. Vidyarhta College owns a ground at Nittawela, adjoining the Kandy Sports Club rugby stadium. They play all junior cricket matches rugger practices and play cricket matches at Police Grounds, rugger matches at Nittawela. St. Sylvester’s College has a miniature ground at Asgiriya, but only use it for little bit for practice sessions, all cricket and football matches are played at Police Grounds and Rugger matches at Bogambara.

Sri Rahula do their sports activities on their own grounds at Katugastota, which is housed below the St. Anthony’s College grounds. Sri Sumangala has no grounds, but they continue to play their cricket, football, hockey and rugger matches at other venues.

The Peradeniya University has separate grounds for cricket, athletics, hockey, lawn tennis, rugger and football. At certain times the Peradeniya cricket ground was the best in Kandy, even foreign teams have played there. Some of the schools use this cricket grounds for their matches. In the early days even the Bradby Shield games were played there.

Police grounds at one time was hired for sports like cricket, hockey, football and athletics, but now preference is given for cricket and little bit of hockey.

The ground looks good, but the pavilion which was half demolished for re-development stays the same, and it needs a quick repair, job to bring into order and usage. Following the lack of suitable grounds for hockey, football, the standard of sports at club level has limitations.

Even Kandy’s club cricket is suffering without grounds. Now with the Pallekelle Stadium ready this problem should be sorted out. Kandy Municipal Council has a pint-size play ground for beginners. Today there are no proper venues for Volleyball, Netball, Basketball at club level. Kandy also needs a public Swimming pool.

The new Minister of sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage, should take note of the lack of facilities for sportsmen/sportswomen of Kandy.