Prime Minister says slow and steady wins the race
NOC President Suresh Subramanium presents the inaugural copy of “GOODSPORT” to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that while most of our neighbouring countries have made vast strides in the sphere of sport, Sri Lanka has stagnated. He said “You will be amazed at the vast strides that the relatively new comers have made in the game. This is what has been missing in Sri Lanka sport. As a result a conviction has grown that we are serious about sport. The politics of associations can ruin a game. This is the sad fate of Sri Lanka’s cricket”.
Prime Minister made these remarks during a ceremony held to launch the National Olympic Committee quarterly magazine ‘Goodsport’.
“Nevertheless the new committee of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) is determined to think long term. What you need now is to build a base and work together. You need a complete overhaul. I spoke with the Sports Minister and told him about the need for new legislation, which he is preparing. Sri Lanka’s sports law was passed somewhere in 1973 or 74, much has happened in sports since then. We had many efforts from time to time individual athletes giving a high level of performance, but then it fades out. But, this is quite a welcome change. What Suresh Subramanium and the NOC is venturing out is to be supported. But, also a commitment that is required from all the associations’ long term. We are here in this for long term and we want to show results gradually. If you are in for that certainly the government will support you and so will the other sponsors in the private sector.” The prime minister asserted.
The Prime Minister pointed out that he launched a sports fund of Rs.50million for this purpose. As we go forward he said we would be able to raise more money for this cause. He even said that the commitment that they made for the Asian Games was a good thing. He said that we have to start at a certain point. He said “I am happy that we went there and took part in every sport”. Now Sri Lanka has to first concentrate in the regional contests and then gradually move towards the Olympic Games.
Meanwhile NOC President Suresh Subramanium said “I recently had the opportunity to visit one of our promising junior athletes at his house. This athlete had the promise of bringing home a gold medal in the future, though the promise is great, his house where he and his family reside in, is small in its real meaning, family eking out a meagre existence, engulfed in poverty and strife, yet this boy, has decided to commit to the great dream of bringing honour to our nation through sport.”
Subramanium added that we learn of athletes who travel great distances to get to training facilities, sometimes sleeping on the floor of sports clubs, eating meals not suited for an athlete to perform at the highest level, yet they sacrifice in the hope of bringing pride to our nation.
He then pointed out that Hong Kong government set up an elite athletes fund back in 2011 amounting to HK $ 12.5 billion (approx 250 billion rupees), this money is invested and the returns are used annually, 11 billion rupees went directly to the athletes and in Singapore last year alone 8 billion rupees was allocated towards their athletes.
“Now we have made strides, the prime minister had allocated 50 million rupees towards the National Olympic Committee and this is a start but we need to build on this. You and I need to work together to create the momentum needed to sustainably fund these athletes, to help make a promise that we will take care of their needs and for them to focus on what they were born to do.” Said Subramanium in conclusion