Sports

Sports

Oh! What a circus
Oh! What won't people do or to what length would they stretch to serve the cause of someone else? Some times they even go beyond the realms of even natural justice just to serve others. However in Sri Lanka occurrences of this nature is fast becoming common place.

Last week the image of sports in this tiny island which was once called Serendib just for its serendipity hit its lowest ebb where sports was concerned. From one end it was the most popular game in the country which is almost a religion -- cricket hitting the skids with the minister of sports Jeewan Kumaratunge deciding to put a stop to the election of office bearers of that sports body with the suspension of its activities. From the other end the other famed sport in this country -- Athletics had a sort of a fiasco of an AAA AGM which ended with grown up educated men behaving like the way the not so sober people do on a pay day at the Kotahena toddy tavern. Why? To serve the cause of the development of sports in Sri Lanka.

The moment the name of the winner was announced, a section of the crowd gathered outside the AAA headquarters and started hooting while some others forcibly entered the building and this culminated the other day with the president of the Schools' Athletic Association -- Anil Weerasinghe claiming that some one from the Janaka Bandara faction got his vote for their camp at gun point. On 26th of March at the end of the vote count for the post of president of the AAA, Minister Janaka Banadara Tennekone pipped his contender Derwin Perera at the post at 56 to 54. Since they did not agree with the main result the vanquished lodged a pro

test and staged a walk out while the victor stayed back and carried out the rest of the programme and elected the rest of the office bearers who would hold office during the ensuing year.

Amidst all this controversy, confusion and pointing of fingers (CCPOF) The Sunday Musings asked the man-in-the middle of the quagmire -- the IPP and a vice president of the present AAA Sunil Jayaweera what he had to say about the CCPOF.

Jayaweera brushed aside the CCPOF. He said "There is nothing confusing in the whole matter. The only incident was that in one vote a person had put a cross against the minister's name and and two dashes against the other names. There were two Air Force officers, two Army officers, one appointed from the Derwin camp in lawyer Daya de Mel and myself representing the minister's camp and the ministry representative Mr. Nandaweera within the counting area. As the majority present thought this one was a legitimate vote it was counted.

Thereafter the opposition requested a re-count which was also granted. Only in the aftermath of that they decided to convert the whole situation into confusion. It was they who brought in athletes who hooted when the winner's name was announced. I am asking is it morally correct for any one to bring the present athletes into a situation of this nature. Will the Sri Lanka cricket team get involved in the activities of SLC AGM? I think it is totally wrong."

Then when asked about Anil Weerasinghe's allegation the AAA vice president said "On the day of the election, there were persons from the armed forces, the Police and the MSD. Do you think a person in his right mind would dare to pull out a gun in that melee. At the same time why wait for three days to bring the incident to the focus of the public. He could have made a complaint the moment it occurred. I think this is a total fabrication and I have requested the Cinnamon Garden police to make a complete investigation into the matter."

When asked the defeated candidate Derwin Perera for his comments on the incidents that took place on the day of the AAA elections the former national coach said "We totally reject the outcome of the election. We have requested the Ministry of Sports to intervene and bring about a settlement to this situation. If we do not get a satisfactory response from the ministry we will have to seek legal assistance."

Walking back through the words spoken before, one tends to wonder once again as to what lengths that people would extend their time and energy to serve other people. In other words people who are involved in this type of activity -- risking life limb and honour should be venerated. At the same time one wonders what the hidden agenda is in this? Why all this fuss? Who is trying to fool whom?......... My foot.

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