Enabling environments for all

Whilst in the West Indies visiting many a cricketing venue, and even when in New Zealand recently also, what I have witnessed often reminded me of two inter-related things.

Firstly a long overlooked crucial need at our international sports venues and secondly, about our own cricketing personality dedicated so enthusiastically to this cause campaigning vehemently from a wheelchair, Dr. Ajith C. S. Perera.

A whole spectrum of impairments affects different people at different points in their lives, adding the inevitable diversity to society.

A thought provoking article Ajith wrote to the sports page of the Daily News of Monday, March 5, reminded us how the administrators here have tragically overlooked the ever increasing wide sector of our own potential spectators experiencing difficulties to walk and climb even a few steps.

Ajith's cricketing scoreboard indicates an impressive innings still 'Not out'. He served the game with genuine commitment in almost all possible avenues.

After playing division one and three cricket for the Colombo University, he immediately took to umpiring, scoring, training and instructing to qualify academically and professionally in all these avenues from England.

After a four-month training at Lancashire County in 1990, he was appointed to the Test match panel of umpires, but a falling tree left him instantaneously a paraplegic for life almost on the eve of umpiring the First Test against the visiting Kiwis in 1990.

In fact this personal adversity brought the best out of Dr. Ajith Perera, in turning him into a cricket writer to produce a book on cricket that won him wide international recognition and also a voluntary disability advocate and well known pioneer campaigner in Sri Lanka on 'Enabling environments for all', especially at our international sports venues.

Sri Lanka have an ever increasing cricket enthusiastic diverse sector of potential spectators, coming from our rapidly ageing population, younger generation hit by accidents and with less apparent debilitating medical conditions and our heroic disabled service personnel.

We urgently need the right facilities at match venues, for those requiring the basic external assistance to move easily and safely on their own.

This will enable us not to loose not only this big sector of our people but also cricket crazy public from overseas in similar position, anxious to visit us as high spending tourists.

In fact investments here will benefit all spectators, with hazzle-free easy to move environments.

At a time we are to hold here in just over three years from now, nine matches including one semi-final of the next World Cup and the entire ICC World Championship trophy tournament in 2012, Sri Lanka can no more afford to loose the huge sectors of potential customers due to these critical shortcomings in essential facilities.

It is certainly violation of the basic human right for access. It must be our moral duty to help cricket to grow stronger in this direction as well.

Manilal does it again

Manilal Fernando the irrepressible strong man in football was once again honoured by the Asian Football Confederation when they unanimously appointed him a senior vice president.

This is the third time that Fernando has been honoured this way. Fernando is a much sort after personality in the AFC family for his expertise in every aspect of the game. From legal to technical he is their guru.

A close confidant of Sepp Blatter the world football boss and Bin Hammam, the AFC top man, Fernando has used his personal contacts to attract good things for the game here which are too numerous to mention.

Fernando is well in line to be the top man in the AFC in the future and we must all dribble and see that he scores this all important goal for himself and the country.

Fernando told me that had his able lieutenant J.S.N. Anandarajah been alive, he would have made an attempt at this top post a long time back. Fernando must be encouraged.

Bro. Alban Patrick pavilion

Walking down Bloemendhal Road in Kotahena or entering the newly developed ground of St. Benedict's College one was greeted with a imposing nameboard signifying the 'Bro. Alban Patrick Pavilion'. That was because it was Bro. Alban Patrick, Director of the College from 1955 to 1958 who built the pavilion that is arguably the best pavilion among the schools. He also helped lay the turf wickets at the grounds.

But at the time of writing the nameboard is in tatters after the recent rains and it is a pity that the authorities have turned a blind eye on what could be best described as an insult to a director who did so much for the elevation of sports in the College. Patrick Perera who served an international advertising firm told me that the material used in the nameboard is good for indoors and not meant for outdoors. Perera knows what he is talking about.