Dialog sponsors contingent for Commonwealth Games

Dinesh Weerawansa

SPONSORSHIP: Sri Lanka's leading sports promoter and mobile communication giant, Dialog Telekom has come forward to sponsor the Sri Lanka contingent for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Dialog will pump in nearly Rs. five million to power the strong 110-member Sri Lanka contingent for the Commonwealth Games starting in Melbourne on March 15. Out of this huge sum, Rs. three million will go to the National Olympic Committee to meet the finances of the athletes and officials while the balance will go to sponsor a local media team.

The CEO of Dialog Telekom, Dr. Hans Wijesuriya said Dialog will continue to play their duty by the nation and that they would always give priority to support the sports which lacks big time sponsors.

It was quite evident as Dialog has thought more than the mileage they get in sponsoring the Sri Lanka Disabled Games as well as Sri Lanka contingents for the major Games such as Olympics, Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Dr. Wijesuriya said they were the No.4 in Sri Lanka's mobile communication market when they first stepped in to major sponsorship by supporting Sri Lanka contingent for the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where their parent company is situated.

"Today, we have grown rapidly to take a commanding lead. As we grow, we have been increasing our share to promote sports, especially popular sports which finds it difficult to find big time sponsors," he said.

President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, Hemasiri Fernando recalled how Dialog initially helped the Sri Lanka contingent for the 1995 South Asian Games in India.

"I did not know Dr. Wijesuriya then. But when I requested 25 mobile phones from him to the Sri Lanka contingent 11 years back, he did not hesitate and also met the official communications of the contingent. Ever since, Dialog has played a foster father role to boost Sri Lanka sports," he said.

Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Jeewan Kumaratunga commended Dr, Wijesuriya and Dialog Telekon team for their active role in the promotion of sports activities in Sri Lanka.

"They have been playing a prominent role. Dialog has always helped us in many sports events and their presence has been a big relief to the Sports Ministry when we have financial constraints to meet the needs of Sri Lanka contingents for major events like these," the Minister observed.

Dr. Greg French, the High Commissioner for Australia in Sri Lanka said the host city Melbourne is anxiously waiting to welcome thousands of sportsmen and women as well as hundreds of thousands of guests for the biggest sporting extravaganza among the Commonwealth Union countries.

"Sports will play in important role in building confidence and harmony among different communities and nations. It's not win or lose that matters but how you competed. What is important is to compete in the right spirit of the Games," he said.

Dr. French added that Sri Lankans domiciled there have made a great contribution to Australia. He also noted that a Sri Lankan-born citizen there will be the next Governor of the Australian State of Victoria.

Sri Lanka contingent for the Commonwealth Games will leave in batches. Some have already left and the balance teams are due to fly within the next few days.

The Lankan contingent, comprising 70 athletes and 50 officials, will compete in ten disciplines - athletics (12 - total in the team including officials), badminton (8), boxing (11), gymnastics (7), rugby (14), swimming (14), squash (6), shooting (6), table tennis (7) and weightlifting (10).

But only six men and three women will represent Sri Lanka in athletics. As exclusively stated in these columns, three-time Asian Games gold medallist Damayanthi Darsha will be the overall captain of the Sri Lanka contingent.

Ruggerites and swimmers will take a major portion of the contingent, which has 25 coaches / officials plus another 25 delegates including four regional sports directors, Sports Ministry officials, National Sports Council and the main contingent officials etc.

However, the NOC President said they can not make any predictions on medals. But he identified athletics, boxing and weightlifting as prospective disciplines for Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games.

General Manager (Sales and Marketing) Nushad Perera, Sports Marketing manager Chirantha de Zoysa of Dialog Telekom, Secretary General of the NOC, Commander H.U. Silva, National Sports Council chairman Saman Amarasinghe and the Sports Ministry Secretary S. Wirithamulla were also present at the handing over of the official sponsorship package to the NOC.