Asanga Senewiratne blasts out of touch sports administrators in Sri Lanka. Sorry Asian Games return underlines the the urgent focus on sports development techniques.BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.(eLanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka’s National Olympic Committee Chairman Asanga Senewiratne’s recent outburst about the country’s controlling bodies mismanagement in sport outside Cricket and Rugby is full of merit.
The former outstanding Rugby player and Cricketer whose sports mad drive was his motivation to get involved in sports promotion in Sri Lanka, recently accused the administrators of sport in the country of being out of touch and reactive in their elected roles.
The result of this has deprived Sri Lanka’s elite athletes of due recognition at levels they could have gained important exposure to if proper training and preparation protocols were followed.
His outburst could not have been more underlined after Sri Lanka’s sorry return at the recently concluded Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya in Japan where 156 athletes returned home with just I Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal to show for their efforts.
At least the athletes outnumbered the accompanying officials this time around with over 80 taking in the action and hopefully using it to develop and improve the country’s talent.
Sri Lanka ended 28th in Asia, worse than their last participation where the were hardly better in 26th spot. At least they had two Golds in track events from Susanthika Jayasinghe and Damayanthi Dharsha in 2022.
Apart from wonder boy Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage who is one of the best in the world right now, none of the other track events produced a medal and it took the cricketers to produce Silver, (women), and Bronze, (men).
Senewiratne has established himself as a leading sportsman and sports administrator in Asia and the Commonwealth so his observations are valid.
Sri Lanka’s sorry record of the past was entering minimal participation by athletes at Asian and Commonwealth Games while hundreds of “officials” accompany them for a free ride to merely observe and more importantly enjoy a shopping spree at government expense.
Nothing from a coaching or learning experience of how to develop talent in the country has been evident from those holiday excursions.
The new look NOC under Senewiratne appears to have identified these serious mismanagement issues and current plans are being formatted to change the culture of the past.
Outside Cricket and Rugby, which is dwindling at the moment, Sri Lanka’s other sports have shown remarkable potential but the lack of proper direction and support keeps them tied down and deprived of properrecognition.
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage is a case in point about potential in Athletics and while his sits on top of the world in the Javelin throw, the recognition at home is no where what he deserves.
Pathirage recently swept through his events in Europe and is currently ranked number one in the world.
His achievements in Rome, 92.3 metres, Zurich and more recently Budapest shot him to number one in the World rankings and there appears to be more left in the tank going forward.
Yet, there’s no mention of sponsors jumping off their perch to embrace and provide him the kind of sponsorship and support athletes around the world are afforded.
The former athlete from a village down south in Sri Lanka was spotted and drafted to St. Peters College Bambalalitiya where he honed his natural talent.
He then joined the Sri Lanka Air Force where he gained the kind of support needed to take it to the next level.
Pathirage is widely revered worldwide and is a favourite to win Gold for Sri Lanka in the upcoming Olympic Games in the US.
He is the only beacon light in Sri Lanka sporting success right now and must be handled with kid gloves.
The new look NOC and other controlling bodies appear to have broken the shackles of corruption and mismanagement under the current government which over the past decades was never envisaged.
The stars are aligning for Sri Lanka’s success and resurgence at long last.
Sports mad Sri Lankan fans are waiting with bated breath for a new dawning in this respect.
Asanga Senewiratne and his committee hold the key in ths respect to drive sport in the country to where it should be.
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eLanka team
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