Athletics: NOC-SLO feud hots up over Olympian Run

A major battle is brewing between the National Olympic Committee and Sri Lanka's ex-Olympians over rival events they have organised to mark the Olympic Day Run. 

Sri Lanka Olympians (SLO), an organisation that bring together Sri Lankan athletes who have taken part in Olymic games, has scheduled its run for June 22 in Kandy -- an event which the National Olympic Committee sees as an event that rivals its Olympic Day Run on June 25. 

On the face of it, the Kandy run appears to be a gigantic effort where all forty seven former Lankans athletes who have represented the country at various Olympic Games, coming together for a cause. 

Records show 96 Olympians have represented Sri Lanka. 

Of them 20 are living abroad, and the balance 47 Olympians are shouldering this wheel. 

However the catch point is that this event has triggered a tug-of-war with the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, which will hold its event in Nuwara Eliya on June 25 with Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala and Johann Peries who successfully climbed Mt. Everest as lead personnel. 

Airing the views of the Kandy event organisers was former Lankan athlete Sriyani Kulawansa, the President of the Sri Lanka Olympians. 

She said, “We launched this project not with any ulterior motives or an intention of creating any disharmony. At the same time we also have no intention of getting involved with any matters pertaining to the NOCSL. 

“Here the bottom line is two pronged. The first is to see to the welfare of former Olympians. The second is to teach the next generation of Lankan athletes the value of an Olympic medal. Ironically we still have won only two Olympic medals in our history. We established this movement on July 15 last year and we are proud that we are now able to undertake a project of this magnitude.” 

Kulawansa has misgivings. 

That is the non-participation of Sri Lanka’s sole living Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasingha, though she has been selected as the patron of the movement. 

The reason is all other positions she said were not permanent; people who hold such positions could be voted out. But, the position of patron is lifetime. 

Kulawansa added, “When we initially set up this movement we gave them a copy of our future plans and a copy of our constitution. At that point NOC secretary general Maxwell de Silva sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee asking them to recognise our movement on an Sri Lanka Olympians (SLO) letterhead signed by him. Then we also had a round of discussions between the SLO, the NOCSL and the then Sports Minister, Dayasiri Jayasekera, about our movement; but since Minister Jayasekera ceased to hold office there has been a change of heart on the part of the NOC.” 

However NOC secretary general Maxwell de Silva says they are against anyone hijacking one of our perennial events – the Olympic Day Run – which has been one of our main events in the calendar. 

“They cannot use the Olympic rings at any cost. That property belongs to the IOC and none can use it without the consent of the IOC. 

"We have written to the World Olympians Association and aired our concerns about the impending situation and they have duly responded also by sending a communiqué through Ms Rebecca Pike of the WOA. But, it seems that it is heading towards an impasse and if so we will have to take necessary action in conjunction with the IOC. They may even be delisted".