Kandy lacks sports facilities

Hafiz Mairkar

Kandy is the capital of Central Province, once the capital of the Sinhalese Kandyan Kingdom. Although the city’s history dates back to the 5th century. Still this great city does not have a fully equipped sports facility.

Over here in the hill Capital of Kandy, many sports promoters have come and gone. Without exception all these promoters proclaimed that sports development was their priority, for sure certain amount of development has happened in this period, like in every district in the country.

But as in the case of Kandy’s sportsmen they are in need of sports facilities in general and mostly a well equipped play ground to take their talents and skill level to a higher level.

Kandy district has the proud record of having produced some of the greatest sportsmen be it in the field of Rugby, Cricket, Football, Hockey, Basketball, Athletics, Badminton, Volleyball, Lawn Tennis, Swimming, and in all indoor games such as Table Tennis, Boxing, Weightlifting, Bodybuilding, Billiards and Snooker.

Sports for the past decades has been so popular in Kandy and today with all schools in Kandy taking part in all sports activities there is a huge necessity for advanced facilities for sports. In respect of Rugby a big thank you should be extended to Kandy Sports Club for having developed the Nitawella rugby ground with the infrastructure to International standards.

Trinity College grounds at Asgiriya is fortunate to have an International Cricket Stadium. They help all the schools to play their big matches and their ODI’s. At Katugastota - St. Anthony’s have their own turf wicket and below that is the Sri Rahula Ground. Dharmaraja College have done some good work to put their pint sized Lake View Grounds to a perfect cricket playing grounds. Kingswood ground at Randles Hills was re-developed but still to play a game of cricket, rugby, football or hockey.

Peradeniya Campus is fortunate to have separate grounds for Athletics, Hockey, Tennis,

Cricket and the Rugby and football ground (together). All this is in a row, now it needs a face lift to conform to standards. At one time the Peradeniya campus turf wicket was classified among the best in the country (that was when the late Leslie Hadunge was in charge). In the good old days, they helped all schools in a big way to play cricket and also for hockey. Today it is not so.

Police Grounds is the venue which helped everyone in the field of cricket, football, hockey, Athletics, Volleyball. Now they don’t lease the grounds for hockey and football and also schools and clubs don’t play cricket as they have only a matting wicket and the facilities offered are not sufficient. I remember when former DIG Bodhi Liyanage initiated a move to get the grounds re-developed through the Sports Ministry at that time Nimal Lewke DIG was the SP – sports at Police and he too came on an inspection tour and got advice from experts to see the possibility of expanding the grounds and tried their best to lay turf wickets.

They needed three wickets for that space was not sufficient. Bogambara Stadium which helped most of the sports when it was under the Municipal Council at a affordable rate, today most of the schools and clubs are finding it difficult to play their games due to very high ground charges.

As the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium is quite far from the Kandy city but the charges are exhorbitant. Vidyartha College owns a ground which is on lease form the Municipal Council adjoining the Nitawella grounds. they can only play junior games and practices. St. Sylvester’s has a miniature ground at Asgiriya where they can do a little bit of practices. Sri Sumangala, has no grounds.

Out of the girls schools St. Anthony’s Convent has a ground which needs upgrading. Mahamaya got space at the end of the Lake from the Municipal Council, Hillwood, Girls High School, Kandy Convent, Hemamalie, Suwarnmali, Seetha Devi, Badurdin Girls School, Gothami, Viharamadevi and there area many International Schools, non of these school has any place to do their sporting activates. The twenty six pocket size Municipal Play grounds are not up to standard for matches.

The sporting fraternity of Kandy hope that the sporting Minister of Sports, Mahindananda Aluthgamage who is also residing in Kandy and the one who gives a big hand for sports development will help. So over to him.