D. P. Wickramasinghe helped uplift Volleyball -Sports Minister

Stanley Seneviratne - Kurunegala North group corr.

The name of D. P. Wickramasinghe will be in the sports history of Sri Lanka due to the yeoman service he had rendered to uplift the Sri Lanka's national sport Volleyball, said Gamini Lokuge, the Minister of Sports.

He was addressing the Jana Hamuwa soon after he declared opened the late D. P. Wickramasinghe memorial volleyball courts constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 40 lakhs at Marakewawe and Kosgolle in the Mawathagama electorate with the funds released by the Ministry of Sports, in accordance to the request made by the Wayamba Provincial Minister of Sports Neranjan Wickramasinghe.

The Minister said that Sri Lanka has made a considerable progress in developing sports during the last decade and it has gained a prominent position as a front runners in swimming, athletics, volley-ball, and have gone on to win number of medals in international sports competitions including Olympics and Commonwealth.

The country did extremely well in SAARC 2006 with our sportsmen and women winning 37 gold, 63 silver and 77 bronze medals and third in rank of medal standing.

Minister Lokuge also observed that sports facilities in the country are not developed upto the standard levels and most of the facilities are limited to Colombo and adjoining areas notably.

Motivation as well facilities are not developed or widespread in the school system. In addition there is a lack of sports facilities, especially in the rural areas of the country.

He remarked that sports development programmes have so far been confined to the distribution of sports items at the local level.

The aim is to change the culture of sports and physical activity in Sri Lanka in order to increase participation of all social groups leading to improvements in health and other social and economic benefits and providing the basic for progression into higher levels of performance.

Wayamba Provincial Health Indigenous Medicine, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Neranjan Wickramasinghe said that the main challenge with regard to sports sector is to develop new ways of connecting sport with everyday life.

International trainers, equipment and other scientific and high tech training methods are the areas needed to be addressed to develop sports in outstation.

Minister Wickramasinghe also pointed out that an estimated sum of Rs. 70 million has been allocated for the uplift and progress of sports in the Wayamba Province.

The Chairman Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha Patrick Karunasinghe said that by 2016 Sri Lanka will become one of the strongest sporting nations.

He requested Minister Lokuge for an estimated sum of Rs. 40 lakhs to renovate and reconstruct the Wellawa sports grounds to an international sport ground.