How they see sports 2012

View(s):

Another year has drawn to a close and with it a long lineup of sporting events which included the Olympics and the T20 World Cup. So how exactly did people view the general performance and growth of Sri Lanka’s sports this year, progressively or regressively?

Overall there was more focus on sports but in terms of actual achievement we were left far behind. We need to start looking at the big picture and focus on the world stage. We need to bring our level up to a Commonwealth and Olympic standard. - Chandrishan Perera (Former national rugby player and administrator)	This year apart from cricket, more attention was given to games like rugby and basketball. - Chandana Sooriyarachchi (Captain of the visually handicapped cricket team)	This year American football and basketball were promoted here and the cricket T20 world cup was held in our country as well. The Night Races were also the latest addition to the sports circuit and is getting popular every year. So overall a lot happened this year. - Shahid Mohommed (Student)
There should be a national policy on sports. There is a lot of politicization in the field of sports. This year, we saw many players changed and existing players were disappointed with political decisions taken by the Sports Minister and sports authorities. Naslim Deen (Businessman)	I feel there were more games but the field of sports should be developed more. There should be more facilities in the city for players coming to Colombo. Sports authorities should recruit more coaches to train players at the provincial level. - Mohammed Nasheed (Student)	This year sports like rugby, basketball and racing became more popular because of the backing of high-profile people. - Mark Schubert (Student)
More prominence was given to cricket and rugby. But there are more games to be developed like say table tennis and archery. We have talented players even in the military. So it is the right time to use their sporting talents. - Ashan Nanayakkara (Law student)	When the Olympics were around the corner, there were five trials for wushu. But if I had to participate in these trials I had to spend about two million rupees because these are held in countries like Finland and USA. So I had to give up the trials, despite having hopes to represent the country at the Olympics. Unfortunately, the best players were not able to participate in the Olympics because they did not get any assistance from sports authorities. The country does not have a plan to get the maximum out of talented players. - N. Abeyratne (Member of the national wushu team)	There is an awakening in the field of sports, but some sports have not been given much attention. The Sports Ministry and other associations should work together to develop all sports. - L. Tennakoon (Secretary of the Wrestling Association)
	Our players do not get continuous training but many international players get a thorough training even if the Olympics is four years ahead. Training for our players starts only when there is a year for the Olympics. - Misheal Phillip (Employed overseas)