World beaters deserve greater slice of the pie
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Carrom is one success story we could boast of in International Sports. It’s a game that is catching on with its tentacles spreading worldwide at a steady pace. Yet, in our own land, its step-motherly treatment, in comparison to other Sports, is most undeserving. Let us go through the ups and downs this carrom tale.
Nishantha Fernando
(Current World Champion)
I have been competing in local and international Carrom tournaments for the past 27 years. I think the sport has gained a lot of recognition compared with the past. Earlier, players and officials found it difficult to participate in overseas tournaments. Today, the situation has changed. Carrom has received its due recognition now. In fact, the sport has been included in this year’s National Sports Festival (NSF) as well. The Sports Ministry has also provided air-tickets for players to participate in foreign tournaments. I think it is a tremendous boost for Carrom in Sri Lanka.
We are currently ranked No.2 in the World for Men and Women. In the Singles I am ranked No.1. In Doubles, the Men’s Team is ranked No.3 and the Women are No.2. Sri Lanka’s main opponents are India, Bangladesh and Maldives. Annually, we compete in two international tournaments. But we do not receive visas to compete in European tournaments. We do not have a National Coach since 2014. This is a huge setback for us. National players are training under their private coaches. The Carrom Federation of Sri Lanka (CFSL) has not appointed a National Coach. We can lift our standards if we can get the services of a foreign coach. I won the World Championship for the first time in 2012. We have many talented players in the country and they need the guidance of a good coach.
The 2016 World Championships will be held in England in November. We are currently preparing for this event. We will be fielding 4-member Teams for Men and Women, along with two coaches. We also do not have a sponsor at the moment, which is another huge setback. If we had a good sponsor, player participation in tournaments and the standard of competition would have increased. Most of the office bearers in the CFSL are keen to promote the sport in the country. But there are few office bearers who are not making an effort to develop the sport. The veteran players in the country are not really recognised by the CFSL. I think, only once, National players were awarded colours by the CFSL.
Dr Prasad Samarasinghe (President- CFSL)
I am happy that we were able to popularise the sport in the country, in the the last one-and-a-half years. During this period, I was able to introduce the sport to the Universities. The Sports Ministry has also introduced the sport to the NSF. There are tournaments conducted covering all nine Provinces. My next goal is to establish District Associations and organise a tournament covering all Districts. There are National-level players coming out from all nine Provinces. We will be sending an eight-member team for the World Championships in England in November. Our main target is to perform better than we did in 2012. We have already handed our proposed long term plan for the development of Carrom in Sri Lanka.
In addition, the now defunct Asian Championships will be revived and will be held in Sri Lanka next year. We have also planned to conduct a Tri-Nation Tournament between Sri Lanka, India and Maldives. The Indo-Sri Lanka Test series will also be held in the future. We do not have a National Coach for the past one-and-a-half years. This is a big setback. We do not have a proper guideline to appoint a National Coach. Now we have set our guidelines and handed the proposals to the Council Meeting to appoint a National Coach. It has also been advertised and applications entertained for a National Coach very soon.
We have over twenty National-level qualified coaches.
We intend conducting coaching sessions to improve their standards. We do not need to get down a foreign coach. We have more qualified coaches in Sri Lanka. We have not forgotten the veteran players, and a special plan is under way to recognise them in the future. The non availability of a sponsor is a huge setback for us. Our main source of income is through club membership fees, and through player application fees. Our Headquarters is currently located in Kalubowila in a rented house. We have also appealed to the Ministry of Sports for a suitable location for our Headquarters. We hope the Sports Ministry will meet our request. I have very good support from my colleagues in the CFSL, while there are a few who are not supporting me, and that has been a severe blow for the progress of the sport.
Chalani Lakmali Liyanage
(National Women’s Champion 2011 and 2013)
Carrom is considered a boring sport among many in Sri Lanka, though many countries are vying for honours in international tournaments. In fact, 21 countries are participating at the World Championships. The number of teams participating has increased with the development of technology. We see an increase in the number of participants in Sri Lanka as well. Although the veterans play the game as a pastime, youngsters have taken up the sport in all seriousness. At school, my favourite sport was Basketball. But I shifted to Carrom, and became the National Champion in 2011 and 2013. In the other years, I was Runner-up. I managed to secure employment in the Sri Lanka Air Force because of my achievements in Carrom.
The current players have plenty of opportunities in this sport. The absence of a National Coach is a big setback. But we are carrying on with the assistance of our private coaches. However, sadly, a Carrom player does not receive the same recognition as a Cricketer or a Rugby player. As a result, many tend to choose popular sports like Cricket and Rugby. I think a National Carrom player should be given due recognition. Prize money should also be increased at tournaments. with consistency in the amounts given for the winners. I am happy that Carrom has been included in the NSF. Carrom is played among all age groups and should be given more recognition in this country.
Kamala Wickremasinghe (four-Times Former National Women’s Champion)
I was involved with Carrom for over twenty years, from 1958 to 1978. I was the National Champion on four occasions in the 1960s. I have a strong family background in Carrom. My daughters, Amitha, Nayana and Pradeepa are former National players. In fact Amitha, was the National Champion for 20 years, Nayana was also a National Champion. Pradeep is the youngest to win the National title at age 16. My grandson Chamil Cooray is the current National Champion. He also captained the Sri Lanka Team at the World Championships in 2008. Actually, there is a good future for Carrom players, unlike some time back. There were no foreign tours for Carrom players during our time.
I had the opportunity of competing in a tournament in India, but the tour was cancelled by the CFSL. Carrom was not played among schools during our time. The game was played for fun among individuals but now, it has turned out to be a popular sport, even among schools. No one needs any expert training to become a Carrom player. He or she could turn into a good player by playing regularly. The sport has become very popular today. The Education Ministry has introduced the sport for the All Island School Games. In addition, the Sports Ministry has included Carrom for the NSF. Today, even Colombo’s elite schools have taken up the sport seriously.
I am currently coaching Anula, Nugegoda, Samudra Devi, Nugegoda, Visakha and Isipathana. I have produced over 10,000 players as a coach. We can produce a lot of top players, if we can work according to a plan. However, support for the sport is very poor, compared with some of the other sports in the country. We will have a very good future for the sport if we can find a good sponsor. There was a time when the sport was restricted to the Mathiasz family. But today, it has changed. We can see the office bearers are working hard to lift the standard of the sport. Though, I had the most number of points, when the CFSL called for applications for the post of National Coach, I was not given the job. As a result I missed out on becoming the National Coach.
