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And now Suzi’s Athens sham run
A lady chaperone to the non-running captain
By S.R. Pathiravithana
Now what? where is our athletics heading? When will they ever learn? Bungling officials are taking the entire sports fraternity in circles or to be more precise they have already led athletics astray.

If anyone or especially some one in the athletics officialdom did not know that sprint queen Susanthika Jayasinghe was not going to run at the Olympics right after the athletics grand prix either he/she was lying or else he/she did not exactly know what was going around him/her. At the same time if he/she had an ulterior motive in taking Susanthika to Athens it is down right dishonesty.

What happened to the AAA? Why is there a witch-hunt against individuals? Is it because they wear differently coloured attire? According athletics sources the repercussions of the removal of registration of the premier athletics body will be hugely felt. The IAAF does not recognise the Interim Body. As a result who suffers? It is the poor athletes who will suffer. The bungling officials will just go on bungling in the name and game of survival. It is said that already Sri Lanka will not be able take part in at least two international meets which will follow the Olympics.

Coming back to the Olympics, the fact that the senior assistant secretary of the ministry of sports Leelawathie Kodikara made it into the Olympic Village as lady chaperone was because Susanthika Jayasinghe was included in the team even as non running captain. The real Olympic team included 5 athletes ( including the non-running captain) 1 shooter and two swimmers. Then came the lady chaperone two athletics coaches, one athletics manager, one manager for shooting and one swimming coach. Then who filled the rest of the chairs to bring the total upto 24. Were they worthwhile persons who could occupy the chairs at Athens without any guilt in their hearts?

Around the corner is the SAF games that Sri Lanka will be hosting. If the bungling so rampant at present continues one can imagine how it will be when the real work for the SAF games begin. It is also said that Minister Jeevan Kumaranatunge is not the main actor in this episode, but, a relation of a member who made it into the Athens contingent of 24. However when the sports minister took over the portfolio four months back all newspaper columns screamed loud about what could happen if he walked the path with his eyes closed, but, before he could even begin the race, it seems that he has crashed into the very first lamp post.

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