ADDRESSING OLD LADIES
View(s):
A coach from Singapore visited Sri Lanka to give advice on the technical aspects of the game. The Singapore coach was shocked to see that she had to address a set of old ladies. She had stated that she was in Sri Lanka to address the youth of the country on the sport. It has now been revealed that this sports body had wanted to honour some of their old and trusted followers and had invited them to attend this seminar.
POSING OFF AS SPORTS JOURNALISTS
Many sports journalists are not aware that there is an association for them. Those who are heading this association are not sports journalists but at one time a freelance sports journalist held the post of secretary of this body. Recently this association had received an invitation from Italy and several supposed to be sports writers took wing to Italy to attend this meeting. What’s more! They had even obtained return air-tickets from the Ministry that deals in such matters. It looks as if this body too did not know who the real sports journalists are!
ROUGH PLAY: A DIFFERENT VERSION
Recently at a rugby game a former Sri Lanka skipper, who has fallen from grace now, was verbally attacking the referee. This former Sri Lanka skipper’s brother was playing in the match and it is usual to support his brother in this match. But this was not so earlier when they were the supposedly ‘darlings’ of the game. This skipper and another brother of his had encouraged the brother, who was playing the match, to tell others, not to tarnish the game with rough and unwarranted play.
NOT PROPERLY PLANNED
It was a grand show with 17 players getting awards. However seven players were not present to collect their awards. The talk among the missing seven was that the event was not properly planned. One cricketer even came late to collect his award, adding further fuel to the fact that the ceremony was not well planned.
When inquired where the slip occurred, it was revealed that the mighty lady was responsible. But, now it seems that she herself wrote the correction for the slip up.
END OF AN ERA
The pint sized champion who did yeoman service for the game of cricket was given the marching order when it came to retiring age. But, the other guy who helped the big wig during the last AGM was given another two year contract in spite being 69 years old.
A very senior insider said “Great loss, it is the end of and era and we will not get this calibre in our cardre once more”.
BLOWING HOT FROM THE COLD
A former athlete who is presently heading the association has all hopes of being elected to the position again. But in the wake of this election comes the new that this former athlete and present president had lost his hold in his home town, which is in the cooler climes. Another former athlete had ousted him from the post, an athlete the present president had given a hand to come up in the sport.
THE PLAN WAS TO LOSE
The top team at the recently nationals held in Maharagama lost to a team that they never hoped to lose. Was this planned? The talk doing the rounds in this game played with a net and ball was to change the match schedule so that the top team will face an easier opponent. This was even brought to the notice of the authorities concerned but nothing happened.
ENGLAND YES; JAFFNA NO!
A mega team had visited ‘Ole Blighty’ recently to study the methods of constructing stadiums so that our stadiums could be upgraded. But the enthusiasm was not so great to visit Jaffna to study stadiums when a sports festival was held there. One member of this tour party did not know how many rounds one has to complete to make 100 metres.