National plan to develop sports

Harsha B Abeykoon

It is indeed an extraordinary phenomenon in the sports arena in Sri Lanka when athlete Duncan White was able to win a Silver Medal in 400 metres hurdles event in London Olympics in the year 1948 just ten years after forming the Olympic Federation of Sri Lanka.

Another noteworthy feature in the annals of the sports history is that sports was classified as a separate subject in 1967 under the Ministry of Sports as until then it was under the Ministry of Nationalized Services. Though we achieved independence in 1948 by leaving the imperial mentality, we could not maintain the enthusiasm in sports and steering ahead.

Athletes such as Duncan White, G.D. Peiris, John De Saram, M.A. Akbar, Nirmala Dissanayake, Nagalingam Ediriweerasinham, A. Premachandra, S.L.B. Rosa, W. Wimaladasa, Sunil Gunawardena, Kosala Sahabandu, Sriyantha Dissanayake, Dhamayanthi Dharsha, Sriyani Kulawansa, Sugath Thillekerathne, Susanthika Jayasinghe, Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Ranga Wimalawansa, Prasanna Amarasekera, Rohitha Pushpakumara and Asoka Jayasundera won medals for Sri Lanka in Athletics and M.J.M. Lafir in Billiards and A.W. Henricus, K. Edwin, S.P. Jayasuriya, R.D.W.N. Perera, Albert Perera, Edward Ian Grey, A.I. Obeysekera, H.P. Jayasuriya, C.P. Jayasuriya and H.S. Caldera in Boxing, Trevor De Silva in Cycle Racing and Nandasena Perera in Golf, Lakshman Rajasinghe, D.H. Chandrasiri, Malee Wickramasinghe and Pushpamali Ramanayake in shooting and Julian Bolling in Swimming, Niluka Karunaratne in Badminton, Ray Wijewardena, Akendra Wickramasinghe, Lalin Jeerasinghe and W.K.P. Janaka in Sailing, Rupat Ferdinandez, B.L. Pinto and Ranjani Jayasuriya in Tennis, Chinthana Widanage in Weight Lifting and Pradeep Sanjaya in Para Olympics are the proud sons and daughters who won gold, silver and bronze medals for our motherland.

It is regrettable to say that though the sports field spanned over six decades in the island there is no national plan to take the sports to the village level and encourage the talented sportsmen and women in the village to play in the national and international level sports meets. There are 52 sports associations in the island but most of them are confined only to towns.

The sports sector had a breath of fresh air with the second inauguration of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa under the Idiri Dekma of Mahinda Chintana which drastically changed the traditional path it trod up to the time being and took the sports to the village level thereby giving leadership to create a sports culture in the island and this could be described as a fresh revolution in the sports sector in the island.

Mahindananda Aluthgamage who accepted the challenge of taking over the Ministry of Sports under the Idiri Dekma of Mahinda Chinthana was able to change the track which had a history of 60 long years to the correct track within a short period of just 2 years under his able leadership to steer ahead the sports sector under a five year plan based on a national sports plan thereby it could be considered a happy occasion in the sports history in the island.

Sports in Sri Lanka faced an abrupt setback since it could not win a single medal in the Asian Athletic Track and Field Tournament held in China in year 2010 though it won several medals in the South Asian, Asian and Commonwealth Games.

The Sri Lanka sports was in the verge of collapse due to mal-administration and improper practices and other reasons in the Athletics sector as well as in the sprots associations sector and the present Minister was able to turn the tide in favour of a winning mentality by studying at the bottom level of the sports sector and taking correct decisions in the proper time and giving severe punishment to corrupt officials and athletes and taking the sports sector into the correct track during last two yeasr and all sportsmen and women congratulate the Minister for his good deeds.

The sports sector in the island was going on a lonely track where as Ministtry of Sports, National Olympic Committee, Sports Associations and Sports Department were running without proper direction. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Youth Services though they should work hand in glove for the betterment of the game but were in a precarious situation without proper co-ordination and direction and having their own agenda.

The use of banned drugs by players was widespread not only within sports clubs but gone beyond to the school level. The sports associations do not receive even a reply from Sports Development Department or the Ministry of Sports. The Sports Medical Unit has become a place where they have forgotten their main objectives and engaged in unnecessary engagements.

Certain persons were running certain sports associations like their own properties for years and years. Chairmen and Secretries of certain sports associations have taken over the responsibilities of selection committee members. Practices were conducted only till their choice of players were selected for the national pool. It has come to level that certain sports bodies though their children were selected for the national pool or team they do not send the children for the particular game.

Financial irregularities, foreign travel, audit reports etc., conducted according to whims and fancies of few office-bearers.

Certain associations were conducting their affairs solely on private agendas by deviating from main objectives of sports. The only service done by certain sports associations is nothing other than contesting annual elections for office bearers.

Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage well understood the situation prevailing in the sports sector during the years gone by and took necessary preventive measures to bring the game in the right direction and otherwise sports sector may have become private property of few interested individuals even today.

It should be considered as a long term investment by initiating development activities such as creating a national sports policy thereby regulating the administration of sports associations which was not carried out during the history of sports, Introducing new regulations to the sports act, Taking the sports to the villages, Developing the sports infrastructure facilities, Registration of trainers and coaches of game, Classification of games where medals could be won, Getting down foreign trainers and coaches, Conducting national pool annually, Taking game of football to the village first time during such an era, Bringing players of national pool to the level of professional players, Obtaining assistance of the private sector for the benefit of the game, Initiating a Programme to prohibit banned drugs, Giving severe punishment to the players using banned drugs, Initiating a separate project to develop the sports in North and East, Giving a target to each sports association, Conducting post enquiries about national pool, Activating the national sports advisory committee, Initiating a "Kreeda Shakthi" project to make a second level of players in the game, Initiating a programme to introduce rehabilitated LTTE youth to the game, Initiating provincial, district and zonal level sports complex project are some of the activities fulfilled during last 2 years.

One thing never achieved in the annals in the sports history in Sri Lanka is that a sports culture aiming to make each citizen of the country a player and getting rid of medal mentality by directing the sports sector in the right track. Thanks to the President the sports sector in Sri Lanka has entered a new path due to his love and dedicaiton to the sports. The provincial, district and zonal fully pledged sports complex project built under the guidance of the President in order to develop sports at the village level at the cost of Rs. 4,500 million will usher a new era in the sports development in Sri Lanka.

Usually sports was confined to few in the towns in the past and it will be developed at the national level with the opening of provincial, district and zonal sports complex project. This project will make a precise contribution to identify the capable players in the village level and to train them using the latest technology. The sports complex started under this project in Kilinochchi, Anuradhapura, Badulla zones are nearing completion and the first ever sports complex built under this project is already opened its doors to the public under the name Jayathilake Sports Complex in Nawalapitiya.

The construction work has already been started in Bandaragama, Matara, Ampara, Puttalam and Trincomalee sports complexes and the entire project will be completed by 2016.

According to the statistics of the health sector in the island, a high percentage of Sri Lankans are suffering from common ailments such as diabetes, heart troubles, high blood pressure etc., as a direct result of high industrialization and competitive economic process in the urban areas as we have witnessed in the past economic and social transition period in the country. The result of giving leadership to create a sports culture in the country in order to make healthy citizens could be well seen in an era of such nature. The sports complexes at the Independence Square, Lake Circus in Kandy and Parliament Drive are well patronized by the public for keep fit programmes. The public have shown interest in such programmes. It is hoped that every citizen in the island will be a player by introducing this interest at the village level as well.

The sports was considered as a matter of enjoyment in the past but it has become an active part in the economic process. One aim of the sports is to create a sports economy in the island by identifying the world trends. The aim of the government among other things is to organize and conduct international tournaments in Sri Lanka as well as bringing down foreign sports lovers to the island and thereby utilizing sports as part of tourism promotion drive. The hotel sector was able to market more than 35,000 rooms during recent World Cup tournaments and it is hoped that Sri Lanka to be made a centre in Asia for conducting water sports, car racing, international marathon tournaments and beach sports etc. According to the affable Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage who has acquired a fair knowledge about the game within a short period of 11/2 years, our aim should be focused on giving a fair competition to India at the South Asian Athletics Meet and winning a maximum amount of medals rather than aiming for gold medals at Olympics. A one year national pool called "Operation SAARC has already been started on his guidance.

The next target should be Asia. After that we should aim at winning at Commonwealth Games. The final target should be winning medals at the Olympics. It is heartening to learn that he has given leadership to initiate a National Sports Plan in order to achieve those aims thereby we could hope that the future of the sports in Sri Lanka will be fair and bright.