Sepakthakraw: First-ever contest at Inter-House Sports Meet a huge success

For the first time ever in the history of Sepaktakraw in Sri Lanka, a school away from the glare of the city determinedly introduced the game of Sepaktakraw as an event at their annual Inter-House Sports Meet at the school grounds on January 11.

Amidst a large gathering of students, teachers, parents, past-pupils, dignitaries of the Kegalle District and people of the area, the whole playing area resembled presented a great festival atmosphere with lots of fanfare, music and gaiety to celebrate the occasion.

Pinnawela Central College took up to Sepaktakraw in 2013 when the doyen of Sepaktakraw in Sri Lanka and Chief Technical Administrator of the International Sepaktakraw Federation and President of the Amateur Sepaktakraw Association of Sri Lanka took great pains amidst financial difficulties to visit the college several times and conducted trained and oriental programmes in Sepaktakraw and was able to convince the students to the benefits one can accrue from the game and to face the challenges of the society. 

Boys and girls were selected from the college to represent the Association’s men and women teams in the King’s Cup Tournament in Thailand for the past three years where the girl’s team was able to win a Bronze Medal in the Division II Segment.

Nizam Hajireen and his Technical Staff comprising of T.P. (Sona) Hajireen, Milanroy, A.Z. Amath and Miss Chamika, ably supported by the Secretary-General of the Association Saman Priyankara all the technical assistance and guidance to conduct the Sepaktakraw Competition for the “Regu” and “Double –Event” for both boys and girls successfully. 

Several boys and girls teams have been selected for National Pool practices due to commence shortly.

There were 16 teams (boys and girls – eight in each team) competing in two events in two playing courts. 

The college organising committee led by the Principal Wasantha Kumara, Vice-Principal Senarath Jayasinghe, the Teaching Staff and the energetic and dynamic Prefect of Games Kalani Palpita, enabled the college to stage this great show, which augurs well for the game in Sri Lankan schools.

Under the guidance of Nizam Hajireen, Miss Kalani Palpita and Vice Principal Senarath Jayasinghe are in the process of forming a Sri Lanka Schools Sepaktakraw Association with schools teams from Kegalla, Kandy and Balangoda Districts in the near future. 

The process is being keenly monitored by Saman Priyankara, the Secretary General of the Amateur Sepaktakraw Association who is gearing up schools in the Balangoda District to take up the game. 

The Sepaktakraw Association’s Technical Staff led by ‘Sona’ Hajireen will be visiting the Balangoda district in this connection very soon for oriental programmes. 

Saman Priyankara, the Secretary General said that no sooner the Balangoda programme is over the Association will accept the invitation of the northern and Eastern Provinces to commence to commence Sepaktakraw programmes amongst schools with a view to include schools of the two Provinces to participate in the planned Sepaktakraw Nationals in the first week of April 2016.

Saman Priyankara further said that the Sports Ministry has granted full affiliation to the Sepaktakraw Association as a recognised sports body and the Association would henceforth seek financial assistance and undertake future training and orientation programmes island wide, which task the Association’s President Nizam Hajireen and a few officials had to bear for over three decades.