Maxwell de Silva – the Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee Sri Lanka outlined their involvement towards the development of sports and help athletes achieve the desired standards called by the International Olympic Committee.
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| Maxwell de Silva –Secretary General National Olympic Committee, Sri Lanka |
He said “On a four- year basis, Olympic Solidarity offers two full time scholarships for deserving athletes for Olympic Games’ preparation. The National Olympic Committee bestowed these scholarships to middle distance runner Chaminda Wijekoon to be trained in Kenya and sprinter Shehan Ambepitiya to be trained in Jamaica.” De Silva also added that the latter scholarship was possible due to NOC chief Hemasiri Fernando's personal initiative with NOC Jamaica. Sri Lanka got this training in Jamaica for two years and it was first time that Sri Lanka sent any athlete to the place where the current Olympic 100 metre record holder Hussein Bolt also trains.
De Silva then added “Apart from above, Heshan Unamboowe and Archer Dilhara Salgado got scholarships worth US$ 1000 a month for their training leading to London 2012 for approximately twenty months. Both these athletes are doing well at the moment. “We also contemplate in sending two badminton players to London 2012 Sri Lanka training center which is Durham University for three weeks commencing 25th May 2012. They will be Upuli Samanthika Weerasinghe and Thilini Pramodika Hendahewa. These two female badminton players will be trained by Peter Higmann a renowned badminton coach in the United Kingdom.”
He also said that the National the NOC during the last few years have assisted local coaches in getting specialized coach training overseas under Solidarity Funding. Some of them are --Weight lifting coach R.B. Wickremasinghe who was trained courtesy United States Olympic Committee , athlete Sugath Tillekeratne in Hungary, Specialized training for Canoeing Coach Mihin Amerasinghe and Chris Pillai who became the only Level III coach in tennis in Sri Lanka.
Besides the above de Silva added that on a regular basis NOC Sri Lanka conducts Sports Administrative courses (every year minimum of two courses) in Sri Lanka in a bid in educating our sports administrators’
He finally said “Further on Sports education we are only a few countries conducting advanced Sport Management courses which had gone on for the past three years”. (SRP)
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