Matale ready to host hockey competition

Countdown to the South Asian Games with Dinesh Weerawansa

Sri Lanka's Mecca of hockey - the historic central city of Matale, is getting ready to host the 10th South Asian Games. All matches of the SA Games hockey competition would be worked off at Nandimithra Ekanayake International Hockey Stadium, Matale.

Five countries, including the hosts Sri Lanka and regional giants India, will vie for honours at the SA Games hockey competition to be worked off from August 21 to 25. Large volumes of funds have been spent to upgrade the stadium to international standards and it will be for the first time that major international hockey matches will be paid outside Colombo.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has finalised its 22-member hockey team for the Games. The national selectors have made a few surprises by replacing a few out of form players with emerging youngsters.

Sri Lanka will also be taking part in women's judo at the 10th edition of the Games. The team include three teenagers - Chamila Dilhani Wijeratne (17) of Jinaraja MV, Gampola, Niluka Idamawatte (17) also of Jinaraja MV, Gampola and Harshani Kumari Herath (18) of Wewatenne MV, Gampola. The other two female judokas are Chandimali Gunasekera (23) of Sri Lanka Army and M.D.L.U. Weerasinghe (20) of Sri Lanka Air Force.

Getting back to the history of the SA Games that we have been discussing in this countdown series, we will have a look at the fourth Games in Pakistan in 1989. Pakistan became the fourth destination in the South Asian sporting map, when they hosted of the fourth Games in Islamabad from October 20 to 27, 1989.

The number of disciplines went up to ten. For the first time ever, Pakistan gave India a close run though the latter maintained their supremacy with 61 golds while the hosts had 42.

Pakistan lived up to expectations in athletics and broke the Indian dominance for the first time in the Games' history. Pakistan won 11 gold while India were close second with nine in the final athletic standings. In Ghulam Abbas, Pakistan produced a champion hurdler who walked away with both the men's 110m and 400m hurdles titles.

The ideal home conditions enabled Pakistan sportsmen and women to challenge the Indians and Sri Lankans in most of the events. But the Indian were simply superlative as they won nine of the ten women's athletic gold medals. But in boxing, Pakistan bagged 10 of the 12 final bouts.

Having won the soccer gold in two successive previous Games, India has to be satisfied with the bronze at the Islamabad Games. As expected, Pakistan were crowned SAF champions with a good win over Bangladesh.

Bolling once again kept the lion flag fluttering high in Islamabad by retaining all three of his previous titles. In addition, he won his fourth gold medal in men's 1,500m freestyle.

But Indian Khazan Singh was equally clever, bagging gold medals in men's 100m freestyle, 100m and 200m butterfly and 200m medley. Pakistan beat arch rivals Pakistan in the final to take men's volleyball gold.