SL’s 100-year-old National Sport needs a spike in longterm planning
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Volleyball, first introduced to Sri Lanka in 1916 by the Americans, through the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), was officially declared the National Sport of Sri Lanka in 1991, and we believe it is the first country in the world to do so. In the centenary year of Volleyball in Sri Lanka, our Men’s team is ranked 67th and the Women’s team ranked 119th, among the 220 countries which compete in this sport at international level.
The period between 1985 and 1995 was definitely good for local Volleyball, with the game being developed through a new crop of young players. The result was that, the Sri Lanka Women’s team clinched Gold at the South Asian games (SAG) in 1991. Nevertheless, this is another sport that has attracted a plethora of politicians, for whatever reason. In some instances, certain politicians have been at the helm of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation (SLVF) for more than 8 years. But the question is whether, ‘under their watch’ the country’s national sport is where it really should be?
Kamal Sujeewa (Sport Journalist – SLBC)
“From 2005-2015, I can see progress in the game. During that period, there were many tournaments in which our national players took part, and we progressed in the Asian rankings as well. Many mega sponsors were involved in Volleyball. During that period we had an International Volleyball Conference in Colombo. We also had an International Beach Volleyball tournament in Hambantota. We also saw officials being sent to international coaching programmes as well. Due to this we received international recognition as well. If we have a long term plan, we can progress further in the game.”
A.A. Jayatissa (Former Sri Lanka volleyball player and Former Director coaching)
“Even though Volleyball is 100-years-old in Sri Lanka, we have not developed 30% of the game to date. We can gauge the position of local Volleyball from its Asian rankings. The game that progressed from the villagers has now, already lost its place in the village. There are no Volleyball clubs or tournaments. The game that was so popular in Gampaha, is no more now. Sri Lanka’s No.1 Volleyball clubs such as Gampaha Central Sports Club and ‘Siyane Tharu’ are no more. The very reason for drop in standards in Volleyball is due to the short term plans of the administration. Experienced coaches are not given their due place, while inexperienced coaches are given a place, due to this the game is in dire straits.”
A.S. Nalaka (General Secretary- SLVF)
Our standards have slightly declined. In 2014 and 2015, we had a string of administrative pitfalls, before which, our junior Spikers were among the top 5 in Asia.
At the same time, we also did not conduct some of the scheduled tournaments. As a result, we lost two top sponsors in DSI and Dialog. But now our administration is on the right track.
Earlier, in the Asian region, we had to contend with opposition such as Iran, China and Japan. Now we also have to take note of sides such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, who often have foreign players representing them. As a result, out rankings keep getting pushed down.
At the recent SAG games, we were ranked 2nd after India. Before that, we were placed 3rd after India and Pakistan.
Besides, since the 1996 Cricket World Cup win, spectator interest also has shifted, with Volleyball fans now watching Cricket matches on TV. Another reason for the decline is that, now children also pay a lot more attention to their studies and tuition.
Susil Ranasinghe (Former General Secretary, SLVF)
“Whoever criticises the game here must note we have made strong progress in the last 100 years. In the FIVB world rankings, of the 220 countries, our men’s team is ranked 67 and the women’s team is ranked 119. In the junior rankings, our boys are ranked 36 and the girls ranked 30. The youth boy’s team is ranked 23 and the girls are ranked 65. In the Asian rankings, of the 65 countries we are 9th. Since its inception in 1916, after 75 years, our women won Gold at the 1991 SAG games. After 97 years, our Men’s team won Gold at the invitational tournament held in Nepal in 2013. Our national team, up to now, has won 2 Golds, 7 Silver and 6 Bronze. In Beach Volleyball we are ranked 9th in Asia. We have participated in the Youth Olympics as well. We can progress, but have some shortcomings. Also, we don’t have a long term training plan for international tournaments.”
G.W. Sunil Gunaratne (Volleyball enthusiast, Milan, Italy)
“I was born in Galle, but living in Italy since 1985. Each year I visit Sri Lanka. I have an interest for all sports. Though Volleyball is the number one sport in Sri Lanka, I am very disappointed. If a sport in a country is hundred years, that is a rare occasion. But I have not seen celebrations on a grand scale here. If this occurred in Italy, they would definitely be celebrating the occasion in a big way.”
Commodore Sanath Uthpala (Vice President- SLVF
and Director of Sports, Sri Lanka Navy)
“When we make a comparison, the game of Volleyball has progressed in other countries, but not in Sri Lanka.We don’t have a long term plan. We must definitely have a 5-year plan. When officials are changed, the direction and the plan also gets changed.” “The officials did get support from companies such as DSI, Munchee and Dialog, but they did not know how to utilise these funds in a meaningful manner. The present administrators have not organised any tournaments for the last year. After months of deliberation, we only managed to conduct the President’s Gold Cup. To date, they have not conducted any junior and senior national Volleyball tournaments. If not for the Tri-Forces and Ports Authority teams, the game of Volleyball would be dead by now.”
Ranthilaka Jayaweera (Former Sri Lanka
Captain and former Selector)
“Some say this sport is stagnant, but I don’t think so. The sport has developed in the last 25 years. In Asia, we are lowly placed. Not because we are short of talent, but for want of long term plans. At the last Asian championship, our Women’s team gave a good fight to the Australians, with the match going to 5 thrilling sets. While India lost to the Australians by a huge margin, which shows we can beat India. Today Volleyball has been politicised. One of the primary reasons for this situation is that, the game is mainly in the hands of political henchmen, while good officials who could do a proper job are left in the lurch.”
Sarath Wijetunga (Former International Volleyball Referee
and International Volleyball
Referees’ Instructor)
“At one stage, the game of Volleyball was very popular in Sri Lanka. For that mere reason, it became the National Sport in Sri Lanka. Later, we finished among the top 7 in the Asian region. But could not maintain that position. The reason is the change of administration and sponsors leaving us. Whatever many people say, the game has stagnated here and not progressed at all. The SAG began in 1984, and for the last 32 years we could not bring the Gold medal here. In Volleyball, we can really progress, we have good coaches and referees, but we don’t have a proper plan.”
Yasa Ramachandra (Former Women’s National Volleyball Captain)
“During our times, the game of Volleyball was at a good level. Our Women’s team used to defeat the Indian team. Our Men’s team could not beat India. In Volleyball, we had renowned players such as the Siriwardena’s and Piyaratne’s in the Asian circuit. We did not have international tournaments. We had test series. Now, for both Men and Women there are international tournaments. The main reason for the drop in standard of the game here is the lack of dedication to the game. During our times, we had good teamwork. We always had the intention of winning the game. We always thought of the country. The confrontations that occur among players is mainly due to the coaches. The National Youth Service Council (NYSC) did yeoman service in the 1980s. During that time, many good players emerged. But today, there is no such service coming from the NYSC. When we think of the last 100 years, we should have made giant strides in the game. Due to the weakness of the rulers during certain periods, we encountered administration issues.”
N.D. Gunasena ( Former Sri Lanka player, former head coach men-women and Chairman- Selectors)
“We are really proud that local Volleyball has a history of 100 years and the sport has been named the National Sport of Sri Lanka. Though we have a proud history, we are worried of its progress right now. The Maldives, who were ranked lower than us, have now become a real challenge to Sri Lanka. We don’t have a long term plan for this sport. We prepare for an international tournament, just 3-4 months before. This is the real reason for the drop in standards. The sole excuse for losses always being, we don’t have tall players. Height is not an issue to win a game. To win we must have speed. Our Men’s team has not won Gold at the SAG. Since 1991, our Women’s team has not won Gold. The main reason for this is that, our players have no planned training. Before we talk about Volleyball in Asia, we must win at South Asian Level.”