Health and Sport go hand in hand

Suraj A Bandara- Anuradhapura

All General Hospitals will be provided with a sports unit from this year. As a first step, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Hospitals will be given this facility, said Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena at an awards ceremony held at the Buddhi Mandapa in Badulla. The awards at this ceremony were presented to North Central Province sportsmen and women who excelled in sports competitions in Sri Lanka and abroad.

The Minister said that Sri Lanka failed to win medals at the recently concluded Asian games and at several other important international games due to a number of reasons.

This includes conspiracies, throat-cutting, removing suitable managers from their posts and lack of resources provided to the sportsmen and women.

"It is pointless blaming the players and athletes when they fail to perform well at international competitions.

International participants those who come from countries which have advanced technological support and resources have greater advantage at these competitions over the participants from countries like Sri Lanka. In this sense, the participants who managed to win medals for Sri Lanka agenets all odds, must be praised for their achievements. Even though Sri Lankan athletes and players get less resources than those advanced countries, they dare to compete with famous international sports stars and sometimes even manage to win medals.

"The foundation for sportsmen and women is laid at school level. That is where they begin their sports career. Schools in village areas encounter sports resources issues and find it hard to compete with sophisticated urban schools.

It is a regrettable fact that many rural schools have not been provided with sports facilities at an acceptable level.

State-of-the-art playground complexes are few and far between in Sri Lanka. Also, issues such as proper nutrition of participants, advanced training, personal welfare, psychological counselling are critical issues that affect the mindset of the participants. "Health and sports are not different aspects. They are parallel components, therefore, it is our duty to strengthen the status of both these sectors. This is why the Health Ministry has decided to provide all General Hospitals with sports divisions," Health Minister said.