Rajiva steps down with a year to go
It is learnt that the incumbent President of the Sri Lanka Table Tennis Association Rajiva Wijetunga had submitted his resignation effective from April 1. Wijetunga, a Masters Double International in Table Tennis and Athletics had decided to step down with one more year ahead for him. Speaking to the Sunday Times Wijetunga said during this short period of one year he served the Association to the best of his ability to improve the game of table tennis in the island and his main aim was to lift Sri Lanka to a higher position in the international arena.
When asked for reasons for his resignation, the former Royalist said that to reach his targets he should gain the fullest support and cooperation from every member of the Association but, they were reluctant to come forward in helping to ease his tasks. As he is handling most duties of the Association single handedly he is not in favour of being called by the Association ‘A one man show’. Wijetunga went on to state about the achievements of the Sri Lankan Table Tennis team during his term, though they were not outstanding but showed some sort of improvement winning eleven medals in the recently concluded South Asian Championships which included a silver and ten bronze medals.
The contingent that was sent for the Commonwealth Games came out with good performances. As a result our Women’s team was ranked 5th while the Men’s team was ranked 7th being the highest rank gained at the games in Sri Lanka’s history. Udaya Ranasinghe, the schoolboy sensation from the hill capital of Sri Lanka created history when he became the only Gold medallist in Table Tennis when he defeated India’s No. 1 and 2 at the South Asian Junior games to win the gold. Competing in the World Championship though our national paddlers failed to produce any notable achievement but the experience they gained by competing with world class players is sure to guide them to be a force to be reckoned with.
The outgoing President said as the president of the association he had to handle most of the duties such as organising trials, residential camps and to immigration formalities and had to be present at practice sessions to see the requirements of the team deprived him in attending to his family affairs. Wijetunga also said that he never made any tour abroad and but always selected the best and most suitable person to accompany the team as officials. In conclusion Wijetunga paid a special tribute to the Minister of Sports, the Director General and the staff of the Ministry for the support and encouragement for the players as well as for the association, mainly when going overseas for international competitions. When contacted by the Sunday Times the Director General of Sports said that he is aware of the letter sent for the resignation and will call for a fresh Annual General Meeting to elect a president.