Countdown to the South Asian Games: Teams to arrive from this weekend

Dinesh Weerawansa

SA GAMES: We are only ten days away from the greatest ever multi sport event ever to be hosted by Sri Lanka. The 10th South Asian Games will have 20 disciplines, that would attract over 2,500 competitors and officials. The 'Daily News' Countdown series for the eight-nation Games will have a closer look on the upcoming event, the history of the Games and the very latest on the South Asian version of the Olympics.

Foreign teams taking part at the 10th South Asian Games will arrive in Colombo in batches from this weekend. Over 2,000 foreign guests - competitors, coaches, judges, officials and observers, are expected to participate at the forthcoming Games.

Of all participating teams other than the hosts Sri Lanka, India will send the biggest contingent of over 300 members. Pakistan too will have an equally strong contingent with Bangladesh fielding the next highest. However, as the host nation, Sri Lanka's contingent for the Games will be the largest ever.

India and Pakistan will send their contingents in batches, commencing from this weekend. The Accommodation sub committee has finalised all arrangements with the hotel reservations for all seven foreign teams that are here for the Games.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the 10th South Asian Games said almost all arrangements are going on smoothly and they expressed confidence in hosting the most successful Games ever.

But reports said two key officials who have played a key role in the organising committee are due to retire from Government service, just four days before the opening ceremony on August 18. Sources said Secretary to the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, S. Wirithamulla and Director General of Sports, Milton Amarasinghe are due to retire on the same day - August 14. The duo have been the key decision makers and their scheduled departure before the Games would be a big loss.

Sri Lanka team officials were seen making final preparations and the athletes would move into the final residential training camp from Thursday.

Track and field would be the brightest medal prospect for the host nation and the AASL President Dervin Perera said he expects around 15 gold medals, the record performance they had in 1991 when we hosted the Games for the first and the only time before.

But with most of the top athletes having injury problems in recent times due to aging and lack of a long term project to groom emerging youngsters, may not enable Sri Lanka to better that record of 15 gold medals won in athletics at the 1991 Games. Yet, Sri Lanka's medal chances look brighter in athletics with captain Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Darsha, Rohan Pradeep Kumara and Prasanna Amarasekera expected to perform a major role.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has a good chance of winning gold medals in boxing and weightlifting, two sports in which Sri Lanka has not performed too well in the past. Our boxers have made adequate preparations with a series of foreign meets and exposure and are in good shape.

The future of Sri Lanka weightlifting looks brighter. Especially after that god medal-winning feat of Chinthana Vidanage at the last Commonwealth Games in Australia, there has been a big revival in local weightlifting and it would be interesting to see how our lads fare before home crowds. Vidanage, the only Sri Lankan weightlifting gold medallist in the SA Games history, will be competing in 62kg weight class.

He is the reigning South Asian Games champion in this category and will be the captain of the Sri Lanka team.