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Today, May 1 is the 10th death anniversary of the late President R. Premadasa. From the playing fields of Price Park and Darley Road he entered Temple Trees and President's House.

This friend and messiah of the common people departed suddenly in a bomb blast on this day, when his party was celebrating May Day with the workers of Sri Lanka. Even today every UNP politician and every single sportsman in Sri Lanka, both young and old as well as thousands of sports fans mourn his death.

As a political leader he looked after everyone in the party. He never overlooked them, but gave the right man the right place. In the field of sports he lent a hand to every sport. He built the Kettarama Stadium now known as the R. Premadasa Stadium, with all the facilities for the game of cricket. He provided this stadium with floodlights, the first in Asia.

Although he did not play serious cricket, he knew the Sri Lanka team could become the best in the world and did his best for the sport. He developed the Sugathadasa Indoor and Outdoor stadiums to International standards.

Premadasa introduced a rugger tournament for the Schools and Clubs along with the present UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrema in the early eighties. It was known as the R. Premadasa Trophy. After his death this tournament was dropped from the local rugby calendar. Never in the long history of this land had there been a skilful footballer as its first citizen. The game came naturally to him. Football has always been the common man's game.

As a young footballer, the late President Premadasa learnt his skills at Price Park, known then as the bastion of Ceylon football. He represented the Udeni Sports Club, Kehelwatta at the commencement of his football career and played as an inside forward.

The late Premadasa paid much attention to soccer at Kehelwatta and played with great footballers from Saunders SC's fame some of whom represented the country. Prominent among them were K.E. Richards, T.J. Azeez, Basheer Ahmen, Sambar Ramaswamy, L.P. Solomons, M. Ismail. Although the late Premadasa did not gain national recognition in football he had already done much to boost the game. A genuine and a keen student of the game, the late Premadasa had to leave the field early in life to serve his country and countrymen because of politics.

It must be recalled that it was the late President who brought football right upto the legislature when he promoted it among his cabinet colleagues. In an historic exhibition football match, Parliamentarians and a team drawn from the Colombo Municipal Council played before a capacity crowd at the Sugathadasa Stadium on April 2, 1984. Premadasa produced flashes of his football prowess by scoring the solitary goal for his team beating an advancing goal-keeper.

He gave his unstinted support to the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, especially when the late W. Mallimarachchi and present king of the sport Manilal Fernando were at the helm. He gave a monthly grant of Rs. 60,000 for the promotion of football.

After his death , it has been left to Manilal Fernando to continue to give the backing for the game. Even in the hurly burly of politics President Premadasa always maintained that, "sports is the best reformer and the ideal thing for politicians to engage in, as sport has no barriers." There is no doubt that every sport in Sri Lanka benefited from his true love for sports.

The name of R. Premadasa will go down in the annals of our history not only as a leader and great nation builder, but also as a great sports promoter. Although R. Premadasa, is no more, his memory will remain forever in the minds of all those who had the privilege to know him.

Hafiz Marikar, MMC, Kandy.

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