SAG athletes spill out beans to Minister
Disheartened by the step-motherly treatment they received at the recent South Asian Games in Kathmandu, the athletes have placed their grievances before the new Minister of Sports, Education and Youth Affairs Dullas Alahapperuma at a recent meeting. They have vehemently criticised the officials–both from the Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Committee (NOC) who enjoyed a fully paid joy ride in Nepal while neglecting the athletes.
The minister met the SAG team on January 9 to hear their views as the government is planning to increase their gold medal to 100 at the next SAG to be held in Pakistan in two years.
The allegations include mismanagement of funds, cutting down facilities, equipment, and other requirements during the 10-day meet held in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the athletes have told the Minister that they were demoralised by various problems which occurred due to the negligence of administrators and officials during the competition.
Sri Lanka created history beating India in athletics after 28 years, winning 15 gold medals and missed the opportunity to outplay the region’s top nation in swimming due to the non-participation of three key swimmers, who were ruled out with injuries at the eleventh hour.
The island-nation bagged the overall tally of 251 medals including 40 gold, 83 silver and 128 bronze medals to finish third behind India and hosts Nepal.
The athletes have revealed their plight and have requested better facilities to produce better results in the future.
After the one-on-one meeting with the athletes, Minister Alahapperuma has promised to solve the issues faced by the athletes and also has taken initiatives to reinstall the financial and food allowances provided to the national athletes during training prior to major international events in the future.
The government will felicitate the medal winners at a ceremony at Nelum Pokuna Theatre on January 14 under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.