Sri Lanka to trim down SAG contingent
View(s):Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Sports will launch a programme to inquire objections brought up by individual athletes and sports associations ahead of the upcoming South Asian Games (SAG) 2019, to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from December 1.
Dhammika Muthugala, the Director General of the Ministry of Sports revealed on Thursday, that the amount of objections and complaints received pertaining to selection and other related matters are unexpectedly higher. The number of complaints and objections received from individual athletes are comparatively larger, than of those by sports bodies.
“The Ministry of Sports will begin an inquiry process by end of this week, and we hope to complete the whole process by the end of next week. We have limited time before the SAG,” Muthugala told reporters.
The Ministry of Sports will treat every single objection received by them seriously and take required action, as they are anticipating a cut-down of number of heads from the large Sri Lankan contingent for the 13th edition of the SAG. This may result in perhaps excluding certain team sport disciplines from the touring party.
The complaints and objections received by the Ministry of Sports will likely serve as an additional supplement to its exercise of trimming down the 605 plus Sri Lankan contingent. The Minister of Sports, Harin Fernando, has given the authority to the National Sports Council to recommend him such sports and athletes, that are identified as ‘unfitting’ with the present setting.
Sri Lanka is expected take part in 27 out of 28 sports at the Nepal SAG, with a heavy contingent of over 700 which includes athletes, coaches and officials. Despite naming a huge squad, the failure of certain sports to win medals has been identified as the main concern of the Ministry of Sports. A top official of the Ministry of Sports stated that it’s a serious concern, when it comes to the financial aspect.
“South Asian Games is the most competitive sports event that Sri Lanka has the potential of winning more medals. But what’s good in sending athletes and officials as mere tourists, if they cannot win medals. The Ministry has been criticised and alerted from different parties for allowing certain sports to field larger squads, despite the medal-winning ability being potentially low”.
Among team sports that are likely to be excluded from the SAG by the Ministry of Sports are kho-kho, basketball, handball and football, which will sum up to over 150 athletes and officials in total.
“If you take swimming, the squad is around 20, but they will win around 10 to 12 gold medals. Even athletics has that potential. Other sports are reasonably performing to its potential. But the concern is of those who have no hope at all”.
In the 2016 edition of SAG, Sri Lanka won a total of 25 gold, 63 silver and 98 bronze medals and this year the Ministry of Sports expects the numbers to increase. Sri Lanka has laid its focus on gold and silver medals rather than bronzes, and has already introduced an incentive scheme for medal winners based on that.
In addition Sri Lanka has made numerous written appeals to the South Asian Games Committee to allow more than just one athlete per event from each nation, which was introduced this year due to several factors brought up by the hosting nation.