|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 24 June 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Sports | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Colombo in the limelight by Dinesh Weerawansa It is just three days to go for the big event - the Asian Grand Prix in Colombo. Having competed at the first leg in Songkla, Thailand yesterday, the 180 elite Asian athletes will take wing to Sri Lanka to compete in the second leg of the 2004 Asian Grand Prix to be worked off at Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday. Thanks to the untiring efforts made by the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka (AASL), Colombo has now become a regular athletic destination. It was AASL President Sunil Jayaweera and his able Secretary Prema Pinnawale who did all the hard work to persuade the Asian Athletic Association to get a Grand Prix event for Sri Lanka. The Asian Athletic Championships in Colombo two years ago was a good eye opener for the Asians of Sri Lanka's organising skills. Not only the Asian AA Secretary Maurice Nicholas, but even people like then IAAF Member Services Director Bjorn Wangemann were impressed to see Sri Lanka handling the things both on and off the field. Wanhemann was particularly fascinated to see a third world country like Sri Lanka hosting a tournament of this nature with nearly 40 countries taking part. The dream of Maurice Nicholas and his Asian athletic family to have a Grand Prix Series of their own finally became a reality in 2002. But only Hyderabad, Bangkok and Manila were picked as the host cities of the inaugural series. Sri Lanka however did not give up their push for an opportunity. The AASL's claims finally became a success when Colombo was picked as a host city for the 2nd Asian Grand Prix series in 2003. Hence, last year's Asian Grand Prix series had four legs - in Hyderabad, Bangkok, Manila and Colombo. It is only for the second time that the Asian Grand Prix is coming to Colombo this weekend. It is nice to see Colombo on the world athletic map with the Grand Prix coming every year. For some people, it is an unnecessary exercise but for our poor rural athletes, it is a lifetime experience. As the Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Jeewan Kumaratunga rightly pointed out at a recent news conference, some kind of preference should be given to sports in which Sri Lanka has shown vast improvement. Take the last South Asian Games. There were only 15 gold medals won by Sri Lanka. Out of that, 12 were in track and field. Hence, Sri Lanka athletics has all the right to enjoy a greater share of state resources allocated to sports. There are over 50 sports registered under the Sports Ministry. Hence, it is impossible to finance all these sports bodies. It is also unreasonable to divide funds equally amongst these fifty odd NSAs. More over, athletics is a sport which could even be promoted at rural primary school level. It is common for schoolchildren in their early teens to run at school meets barefoot on small school grounds. This could be witnessed in any part of the country, unlike so called posh and affluent people's sports. If not for the Asian Grand Prix, most athletes in the region would not be able to pocket some cash incentives before hanging their spikes. True that the awards offered at Asian Grand Prix Series are not that attractive when compared to the IAAF Grand Prix meeting. Nevertheless, it is big money for the less affluent Asian athletes. Sri Lanka athletes pocketed over Rs. five million from the 2003 Asian Grand Pries Series. This year too, they are in line for a similar, if not even greater, cash bonanza. Even the fourth placed competitors would get a consolation cash award from this year. It is a positive sign to show the Asian Grand Prix is going from strength to strength. Political games Since the new government came to power three months ago, there have been many people, with vested interests, who have been lobbying for various moves from the Sports Minister. There have been hundreds of officials, coaches, national association, clubs, players and even politicians who have been coming out with ideas to suit their political agendas. Fortunately, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Jeewan Kumaratunga has not been common and narrow minded. He has been able to see national issues though a political lens. Loads of information have been passed on to the Minister by people with ulterior motives. They present their cases in such a way so that at first glance, one would see a point in what they say. But in depth, mostof the information are sneaked to get individual favours and work to their own agendas with vested interests. Some associations pin point faults of others while they have even more. More dangerously, those who can not get elected to sports bodies through democratic means, level charges against those who hold posts and demand interim bodies. Many even publicly boast of their political affiliations and so called ability to get the sports bodies dissolved. Minister Kumaratunga, quite correctly, has given a patient hearing to most of these complaints. The Minister's honest thought is to see people coming out with ideas to develop our sports. But when one analyses, it is not to be. Devils are coming under the disguise of Saints. Full points to the Minister, the Sports Ministry has rightly identified the forces and up to now, has not allowed those with vested interests to ruin our sports. A common allegation has been corruption in sports bodies. True there are some sports bodies where the accounts and handling administrative matters may not be clean. But that alone is not a good reason for high action. By the Sports law, the Minister has all the power to dissolve any NSA if he feels their conduct is unconstitutional. But Minister Kumaratunga is not going to rush. He would make a careful study before arriving at his final decision. An interim committee is not a solution to most problems and the Minister himself has stressed that he wants to get rid of the existing interim bodies. Minister Kumaratunga is not a person who would hesitate when action has to be taken at the right time. Hats off to the Minister for his broad minded and new political culture, which has been bitter to those who pray for interim bodies each time a new Government comes into power. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
