Wushu receives Sports Ministry boost
Wushu Federation of Sri Lanka (WFSL) entered to an accord under the new High Performance Agreement of the Sports Development Department of Ministry of Sports last Monday. Under the new agreement WFSL will receive monetary assistance from the Ministry of Sports’ High Performance Programme, to develop wushu and its athletes with an improved and up-to-date approach.
“This is a significant development in terms of wushu, as we will be able to add value and make progress in our venture to earn more medals at international level. Our athletes are currently going through many hardships when preparing for an international event, and the assistance we receive through the High Performance Programme will be of a huge boost for the athletes and the sport in general,” stated Manel Dharmakeerthi, the President of WFSL.
The Ministry of Sports initiated its High Performance Programme (HPP) upon a comprehensive research conducted by the National Sports Council, headed by former Sri Lanka cricket captain Mahela Jayawawardena. Through the HPP, identified sports associations and federations as potential medal winners at international events, after a grading process, will receive long term assistance to achieve their respective goals.
The new agreement between WFSL and MoS being signed under the eyes of the Sports Minister last week
The WFSL will be assisted through the HPP programme to an approximate package of Rs. 6.7 million, in which the sum includes the services of a foreign coaching expert, equipment and gears and a few foreign exposure tournaments prior to important international competitions. In detail, the agreement will cover the specialised services of an Iranian coach for Sandha, and platforms, training carpets and equipments required for the discipline. In addition athletes who perform on par with international standards will be provided exposure tournaments in Iran and China before important events such as the Asian, Commonwealth or Olympic Games. Based on the progress the Ministry of Sports will consider sending 10 potential international medal winners for residential training in China the following year.
“As the President of WFSL, I am proud that I was able lead our team to achieve this status of being recgnised for the HPP agreement with the Sports Ministry. In addition, WFSL is indebted to the sports minister and his team, including Mahela Jayawardena, the chairman of NSC, for initiating this valuable and timely programme that could benefit sports in general in a big way,” Dharmakeerthi added.
The agreement was signed last Monday by the Director General of Sports for the Ministry of Sports, Amal Edirisuriya and Dharmakeerthi, as the President of WFSL.