An overwhelming number of athletes, over the years, have given up sports and many have gone overseas to pursue greener pastures leaving sports enthusiasts concerned.
The Daily News spoke to several sports stars who are currently overseas, many of whom requested anonymity over concerns of retaliation from Sri Lankan sports officials. They spoke of maltreatment and unfair decisions made by officials, including denial of food during their rigorous training while staying at sports hostels in Colombo.
“It is very disappointing to see many young athletes giving up sports. So many have gone abroad,” Nilantha Wickramagalle, who coached former national karate champion Dinusha Perera, said.
Perera, who also won gold in the South Asian Karate Championship in 2017, is currently overseas.
“I told her not to chase behind medals anymore, and be financially independent,” Wickramagalle said. He added that Perera, during her training days, didn’t receive financial assistance, and he bought her sports gear from his salary himself.
“How can they even compete in international games? They (athletes) have to pay to take part in national tournaments, and if they are selected to compete in international tournaments these kids are asked to find around Rs. 400,000 to make the trip. Sometimes, they are given only a couple of days to find that money,” Wickremagalle said likening it to a ‘mafia’ as the issue is deep-rooted and multifaceted. He added that he is observing a trend where school students take up sports until they reach university level, and then give up sports looking for careers that are more financially sustainable. Some take riskier decisions.
Triple jump and long jump record holder Shreshan Dananjaya left the country after sports officials failed to support him. However, he has not given up his dreams. On a Facebook post, standing near an Olympics sign, he stated he still aspires to participate in the Olympic Games.
In 2022, twelve members of the country’s Commonwealth Games, including wrestlers, judoka, boxers, and beach volleyball players went ‘missing’.
Sri Lankan press attaché Gobinath Sivarajah who was with the team in Birmingham at the time told Daily News that more should be done to retain athletes.
“Most of the athletes are coming from rural areas amidst many hardships. They have to work hard to come to the level of middle-income lifestyle,” he said.
Wickremagalle, who has worked as a trainer for decades, said that Sri Lanka’s sports industry needs principles, a vision, and political will to create a safe and supportive environment for athletes. “In other countries,” he said, “athletes are treated as national treasures.
Aanya Wipulasena