Who asked me, is the National Olympic Committee a Travel Agency?
They went, they saw but exactly what did they conquer?
This is with reference to the article appeared on your Sunday paper on 21.8.2022 under the above headline by Tee Gee. We are perturbed to note that its content is distorted and false. A newspaper of your stature is generally a responsible entity therefore it hardly contains misinformation that would smear a body such as ours and maliciously tend to tarnish its image as we are responsible to the international bodies it represents.
As a seasoned scribe, I am sure that you would have taken real count of the composition of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games contingent and maybe you made a mental count that four qualified Team Sports viz-a-viz Women’s Cricket, Rugby – Men and Women, Beach Volleyball and Basketball 3×3 comprised 69 out of the full complement of 160 allocations
(Especially Women’s Cricket and Rugby were included by the National Sports Selection Committee (NSSC) with their own justification.) Yet, as a matter of fact, the NSSC was the final decision maker while NOC SL had two seats in it.
Besides the rest of the count was 57 athletes, 22 coaches and team leaders from 10 sports, 9 mission personnel and 5 medical personnel, including Dr. Asela Ratnayake who was in charge of the weightlifters; nominated by the Commonwealth Games Association of Sri Lanka.
The Team Size Calculation as per the Birmingham 2022 Games is given below in detail.
That is why in journalism checking back with the original source is one of the basic lessons that you learn, when you aspire to become a scribe worth his salt.
The now fabled travel agency and others that you accuse us of, occurred in this manner:
- Total of 98 air tickets were booked by NOC Sri Lanka with the funding assistance from the Birmingham 2022 which is 60.5% of the total tickets. The total cost of air tickets were appx Rs.78 million. This scheme became a reality thanks to the ingenuity of the NOC SL; 27 tickets (16.7%) were done by the Ministry of Sports and Sri Lanka Cricket looked after their own expenses (21 persons (13%)); 15 tickets (9.3%) were booked from the Sports Fund.
- Further, Sri Lanka Cricket contributed Rs. 22,500,000.00 towards the Sports Fund of the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the Birmingham Games also towards athletes’ air tickets.
- Travel insurance for the above mentioned 113 athletes and officials were covered by the CGA SL at a total cost of Appx
Rs. 397,000/-
- Athletes’ and officials’ track suits, t-shirts and competition attire designs were officially approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation; Track suits and t-shirts were sponsored by Hirdaramani and MAS Holdings at a cost of appx Rs. 2.5million.
- Covid-19 PCR tests for all athletes and officials were covered by the CGF costing Rs.1.33 million.
- Accommodation and meals for the athletes and officials were provided by the CGF/ Birmingham Organising Committee.
In addition, three journalists to cover the Games in three languages from three leading newspaper groups – The Wijeya Group, which your esteemed newspaper is also a part, Lake House Group of Newspapers and Express Newspapers were fully funded by the CGA Sri Lanka as a goodwill to communication. Also, two photographers were sent from CGA Sri Lanka side. The total cost of approximately Rs. 6.8 million for the five media personnel were borne by the CGA Sri Lanka.
Delving into the dark side of the story, yes, officially there were 12 athletes cum team officials who decided to take a walk; taking into consideration, they still are in possession of valid travel visas.
Unofficially, there may be a few more scribes of your ilk who also joined the bandwagon, but the story is, they are also still legally in the United Kingdom. While moving out of their stipulated posts while on the job – we are against it and we abhor such behaviour. As far as we are concerned, they are deserters.
As for the achievements, it is all known. Yet, remember, in a team of 11 cricketers, every batsman may score a fifty or a hundred but they cannot do it in every match. Hope the Sunday Times would give our explanation to the above challenge posed at us in the above headlined column and we are sure that you will be giving us the same publicity while trying to undermine our three years of untiring efforts of being a part of an event of this magnitude.
| Writer’s Note: | |
| We have for attention your RoR dated the August 29, 2022 and are accordingly publishing it in the interest of our readers and the sports public in particular, though you have not even signed off the purported letter. Be that as it may, we thank you for making the effort to offer us several details which is normally not in the public domain. You have laboured to inform us of how the contingent is made up, leaving the selection in the hands of the NSSC. Your two seats apparently counts for nothing. The column that you refer to, offers a point of view and does not question the veracity of your contingent structure. What it takes exception to, is the fact that the NOC does not appear to take responsibility for the competitive standard of the athletes representing Sri Lanka, but puts that onus on the NFs and the NSSC. That is what prompts the reference to a travel agency. The tremendous effort that is made is acknowledged, but what the article does is question its outcomes. In the interest of the sports public, it behooves the NOC to publish the list of athletes selected in advance and the results that one can justifiably expect in comparison to CWG standards. It can also provide a report of the participation, offering an analytical view of what transpired in Birmingham. The sports public would find that of great interest and recognise the endeavours you make. The deserters who marred this tour are not a primary concern. But here again, observations made to us by enthusiasts, question why a 06 month visa was obtained for a 02 week programme. Was there no possibility of taking precautions knowing in advance that such an eventuality was actually on the cards? These questions in our view are legitimate. What the ST continues to do is address the aspirations of sportsmen and sportswomen as well as the sports community at large. We do not harbour any malice to the NOC or any other agency engaged in sports management. But we reserve the right to question its validity and integrity in the larger interest of the country, when it comes to international sporting events. |