An ill-timed remark

Weightlifting: The month of March has not been a good one for the Ministry of Sports. Not only have they been exposed of human trafficking, which has more or less stunned the nation and brought shame on it, but further damage was done when the secretary to the Minister of Sports came out with words that would not go down well with the Sri Lankan public.

Chinthana Vidanage, a virtual unknown from Polonnaruwa made the country proud by winning a gold medal in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

When the whole country including the highest of the land, President Mahinda Rajapakse is rejoicing by this exceptional feat there comes a shocking remark from the Sports Minister's secretary S. Wirithamulla not to give Vidanage too much attention lest all the adulation spoils him. We don't know the veracity of Wirithamulla's remarks from Melbourne, which was published yesterday in one of the English morning dailies. But it was certainly ill timed.

This is not the time to make any statements to that effect especially after a poor unemployed village lad had brought fame, honour and glory to his motherland to bring home the first Commonwealth Gold medal in 15 years. It is a performance that should be lauded through the length and breadth of the country as much as our cricket team gets when they bring laurels to the nation.

To quote the secretary: "We shouldn't go overboard with this victory. How many sportsmen and women of our country have been spoilt because they were afforded too many rewards? I request all of you not to make Chinthana Vidanage a spoilt sportsman too quickly." Wirithamulla may have a point there, but these kinds of statements are best made at a private forum not to the media or the public.

Statements of this nature will only have a demoralising effect on the poor lad who from total obscurity has caught the attention of the entire nation with his achievement in a sport that no one talks about.

The way our sports contingent is performing in the other disciplines at Melbourne, Vidanage's gold could be the only medal that Sri Lanka may return home with.

He should be given all the encouragement to perform and go for bigger and higher achievements like winning a medal at the Olympic Games. Deeds not words should be the benchmark.

Sports Editor