Sri Lanka athletics poised to make ‘Beach’ debut
Beach athletics is a popular event around the globe but it comes as a new for Sri Lankan athletes, who are used to competitive stage
The possibility of Sri Lanka making its debut in track and field events at the 6th Asian Beach Games 2020 is high, as the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) are eager to resume its activities, aiming a gradual return before going into full force.
While priority has been given to look into the possibilities of resuming local events and getting back the athletes into shape for the upcoming international events, the AASL is equally keen to send a team of athletes to represent the country in athletics at the Asian Beach Games. The Sanya 2020 6th Asian Beach Games is scheduled to be held in China from November 26 to December 5.
“We are looking at the possibilities of sending a team for the 6th Asian Beach Games. The plan is to scout the potential athletes, who will be suitable for this version of the sport. We are well aware that this version and the competitive level are two different sectors, and we are studying the whole dimension of beach athletics,” Maj. Gen. (Retd) Palitha Fernando, the President of AASL told the Sunday Times.
Sri Lanka has participated at the Asian Beach Games on five previous occasions, representing other sports and is ranked 37 out of 42 nations with a tally of six bronze medals. Track and Field Athletics was included in the Asian Beach Games in 2014 and continues to grow in popularity for its energetic surroundings.
In addition, most local track and field athletes are very much accustomed to running on gravel turfs and its conditions, as Sri Lanka only possess two venues with synthetic tracks. Even the track and field events at the National Sports Festival, National Youth Sports Festival and National School Games are held on gravel conditions, which would easily give the local authorities a ray of hope in winning a few medals on debut.
Yet, the local authorities are cautious as they are still alien to the settings and conditions of Beach Games athletics. Maj. Gen. Fernando also emphasised that sending competitive athletes to this version could be risky, with the upcoming international commitments, and that a second string or a separate team to represent Sri Lanka could be the most viable option.
“Firstly we have to take out the negative mind-frame of the athletes, who are confined in their homes during the past few months. Matters are still beyond our control due to the situation created by the pandemic. As a responsible national sports body, the AASL is highly concerned about the safety of our athletes and stakeholders. We must be very careful while trying to start a return to the normal conditions. We will meet all stakeholders by next week and make a comprehensive plan to make a gradual return,” he added.
Once all fall back on track, the AASL hopes to look into possibilities of holding the National Championship, while mainly focusing on selecting athletes for the Asian Junior Athletics Championship, which was postponed to next year. It is still unclear if junior athletes, who are in their final year due to the age category barriers, would be able to compete under different or special conditions after the regional event was pushed forward by a year.
However the AASL will have the option of looking into all aspects beginning from next week, as they positively look at stepping into the ‘sandy’ version of track and field. Beach athletics is contested on tracks and fields prepared with pressed sand, conditions quite similar to local event standards.