Sports complex for Vidyartha

S.M. Jiffrey Abdeen

Kandy Sports Correspondent

This playground complex when completed will be a fulfillment of President Mahinda rajapaksa’s Mahinda Chinthanaya which endorses “Gamata Kreedawa” or sports to the village and work on this sports complex must be completed by March 10th nest year said the Minister of Sports C.B. Ratnayake.

He made these observations when he laid the foundations stone and cut the first sod of earth for Vidyartha College’s sports Complex which will be constructed at a cost of 30 million at Nittawela on Tuesday.

Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake who is an old boy of Vidyartna College, Kandy, said that he is proud to be an old boy of this great institution which taught him discipline, leadership and to handle difficult situations and above all win it clean.

When he this week attended a parley at the Commonwealth games held in India, he did not wear the usual national dress but he wore a blazer and on it he pinned the logo of his school in addition to Sri Lanka’s logo.

This school has produced a large number of sportsman and service personnel who had served the country well.

At this time boxer Manjula Wanniarachchi has won the Gold of his class breaking a 72 year old ‘hoodoo’.

He said that in the past Nittawela was identified with Kandy Sports Club’s Rugby Stadium. Kandy Sports Club had carved their name in gold by their dazzling performances in the rugby field. But now another will come up at Nittawela which was earlier a garbage dump. The school has spent a large sum to fill up this garbage dumb with earth.

Sports Minister Ratnayake said that in the past Vidyartha College achieved glory in the sports field without a playground and once they get this playgrounds, they should achieves bigger glory.

Parents encourage their children to participate in sports and they should not confine themselves to books. At the same time education is also important for producing responsible citizen and intelligentsia.

They must go hand in hand. Sports teaches discipline and leadership qualities. To quote an old adage “All work and no play makes jaok a dull boy”.

In conclusion he said that in collaboration with foreign Universities we are going to Diploma in sports at the local Universities, so that the sportsmen and sportswomen could be rewarded for their efforts and could find suitable employment once their playing days are over.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made this country safe to walk from Point Pedro to Dondra by ending the 30 year old terrorist war and it is out duty to promote and develop sports in the Northern and Eastern provinces which had been ravaged by the war. He as the Minister of Sports will take every step to achieve these objectives.