Opening batsman Upul Tharanga responding to the anti-doping issue which cropped up in parliament last Tuesday (13) told the Sunday Times, that he ‘merely wishes to leave behind the event’ for good and concentrate on the future.
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| Upul Tharanga in action. |
According to a document tabled in parliament on Tuesday, the Sri Lankan One Day International (ODI) opener Tharanga was treated by an Australian physiotherapist. This was disclosed by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Sports, Mahindananda Aluthgamage who was responding to a query brought up by the main opposition.
“Physiotherapist Tommy Simsek was treating Tharanga during the time in question,” Aluthgamage said in response to a question raised by United National Party. “The player was tested positive for the banned substance prednisolone after the dope test. The Australian physiotherapist had been working since 1995 - both in Australia and Sri Lanka,” Aluthgamage added in his answer.
However when the Sunday Times spoke to Aluthgamage to further clarify on the statement, the Minister said: “I was referring to the Sri Lankan cricket team physio. He is the official physiotherapist of the team and the players were clearly directed to get treatment from him, not from outsiders.”
Meanwhile in an interview with a sports website in June this year, former Sri Lanka cricket team physio Simsek, had mentioned that he was let down when Tharanga was tested positive. “I was disappointed for Upul (Tharanga) on a personal level and I was disappointed that this happened to a Sri Lankan cricket player. My reaction was obviously to try and help Upul”.
During the process of the inquiry by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Tharanga was said to have received treatment from a spiritual healer who had treated VIPs of the country. The said healer was later revealed as not having registered as a practitioner at the Sri Lanka Medical Council or the Ayurvedic Medical Council of Sri Lanka. The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) tested Tharanga positive for using banned substances and the ICC imposed a three-month ban on the cricketer from the sport affecting from May 9 this year.
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| Tommy Simsek |
“Personally, I come from a science background, so I do not believe in the benefits of a spiritual healer. I think ‘faith healer’ is a better name for him, If you have faith and sincerely believe that something, or someone, is going to help you, then in most cases you will feel better after such an intervention,” Simsek who left the Sri Lanka cricket team in April was quoted as saying.
According to Simsek’s observation, Sri Lanka cricket players did not need the services of any personal physiotherapists as they were all well educated on banned substances and had the direct involvement of team officials with regard to treatment.
“I was not aware that Upul was being treated by a faith healer. Most of the players in the team knew I was cynical about the effects and treatment offered by faith healers, so they were quite coy about letting me know they had seen a faith healer. So, most of the time, if a player had seen a faith healer, they kept it away from me as a secret,” the Turkish-born Australian trainer revealed during the interview.
Minister Aluthgamage adding further said his statement made in parliament did not mean that wanted to add a new character to the episode while also saying that Simsek is not responsible for Tharanga’s fault. “If the players wished to take personal healers, we are not responsible for the reactions resulting from their treatment. Team officials know the guidelines”.
However Aluthgamage’s response in parliament, managed to redirect the forgotten incident into a different dimension as the main character of the episode, Tharanga, too was clueless on the Aussie physio that the Sports Minister was referring to when his statement received a wide publicity in the local media.
“I really don’t have any idea of an Aussie physio apart from Simsek during that period. I went through the agony by paying the price for ignorance. I sincerely hope that I will be given room to leave behind what occurred. I wish to focus on my career seriously and the future,” the stylish southpaw batsman vowed. |
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