Freestyle wrestling faces firm tussle
View(s):By David Stephens
Freestyle wrestling was not made for the weak-willed or faint of heart. Among the world’s oldest competitive sports and undoubtedly
National pool wrestlers gather for practices. Pix by Amila Gamage
the most complete form of wrestling, it tests a wide array of physical and mental attributes and pushes its practitioners to the outer limits of their discipline and commitment.
It for this reason that it has featured as a prominent part of the Olympics since the games’ very inception. However in Sri Lanka, freestyle wrestling enjoys tepid attention at the best of times and is constantly relegated to the shadowy circumference of the local sport circle.
The Secretary of the sport’s governing body, L. Tennekoon, says that this is because it is not as lucrative as some more popular sports and only sees limited participation.
“In Sri Lanka only about 35 schools practice this sport. It is only popular among the three forces who are also its main sponsors. The thing is freestyle wrestling is not like cricket, players are not going to get good jobs and sponsorships if they do well,” he explains.
Adding to the sport’s woes is the fact that parents are oftentimes reluctant to involve their children in freestyle wrestling, fearful of the
Kalum Krishantha
injuries that may be sustained due to the aggressive grips and powerful throws utilized in competition.Nevertheless, the courageous few who do step onto the mat harbor enormous reserves of strength, skill, determination and talent. Last week, several talented young wrestlers gathered from all across the country, locking arms to earn a chance to have their names listed in the national pool.
Most of them understand the rigors of the sport, particularly the susceptibility to injury and the constant pressure of maintaining a regimented diet and training schedule so that they stay within their weight class.
Thirty-four-year-old Kelum Krishantha is all too familiar with these demands, having been in the sport for as long as he can remember. Throughout his career, Kelum continued to move up weight classes and in the process secured a bevy of titles which included several national awards and two SAF Games bronze medals.
Kelum opines that there is a lot of talent in the country but laments that the vast majority of this wrestling potential is wasted due to the absence of a structured training programme with battle-tested coaches.
“Wrestling is a sport which involves the use of a lot of techniques. If we want to participate in international games, we need more foreign coaches and we need to bring international wrestlers here to practice with us,” he says.
“In 2007, an Indian coach came here for two weeks, but he was here only to train the local trainers. There should be foreign trainers to train the Sri Lankan team. Our wrestlers can go for gold medals but we are limited as we do not have more training. Our team has just not participated in enough international games.”
Secretary Tennekoon too echoes these sentiments but reveals that plans are in motion to bring down wrestlers and coaches from countries with strong backgrounds in freestyle wrestling.
“We plan to invite 18 wrestlers from Nigeria in January. I think we are inviting a foreign team to Sri Lanka after a period of about 42 years. We are also looking to target coaches from Russia or Iran and have written to the Sports Ministry about it,” he explains.
Whatever shortcomings the sport may suffer in Sri Lanka, enthusiasm and talent are certainly not among them. The fact is made acutely visible through a brief conversation with 17-year-old K. A Prasad Kumara.
Prasad picked up the sport at a local club in his hometown of Badulla and has since not looked back, developing into an astute wrestler who has competed in several local competitions.
He explains that his intense training regimen has also filtered into other aspects of his life and given him increased focus and resilience.
“I am looking to keep on getting better and am aiming for medals at the SAF Championships and the Asian Games,” he says, confidently.
With funding for the sport still not even nearly sufficient, according to Mr. Tennekoon, Freestyle Wrestling faces a firm tussle to gain a foothold in Sri Lanka’s sporting culture. Certainly though, this small but gifted fraternity of dedicated athletes will tap into their principal quality- a-never-say-die mentality- to try and throw down all obstacles that stall their progress.
Kalum Krishantha
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