Sports

Sports

Why not row them through?

By Mahangu Weerasinghe
Rowing is a sport that has for many years been overlooked at the national and international level in Sri Lanka. With fewer participants, lesser funding, and inadequate media coverage, national rowing in Sri Lanka has not received much of the attention it so richly deserves.

Although the Sri Lanka rowing contingent made big impressions at the 9th South Asian Federation Games earlier this year, their five silvers and two bronze medals are yet to be awarded. Their medal tally, which spanned both the lightweight and the open category, is outstanding for such a young team with comparatively little funding.

The fact that this was the first time the discipline was included in the SAF Games makes the rowers' feat even more profound. Since their return from Pakistan in March however, neither the team, nor the Sri Lanka rowing community in general has received any sort of support from local authorities. In a country where so much funding is put towards sports which have not yielded even half the share of medals that rowing has, it remains to be seen whether the government will ever realize the need to fund based on performance and not on reputation.

The Sunday Times spoke to Mr. Deva Henry, President of the Amatuer Rowing Assocation of Sri Lanka, about the response so far from the government. "In the past, the Sports Ministry has been very helpful by providing us with some basic training equipment, along with funding for the recent SAF trip," said Mr. Henry.

With the 10th SAF Games being held in Sri Lanka from the fifteenth to the twenty-fifth of August next year however, the need for a watercourse of international standard is essential. Although a suitable two thousand metre course has been identified on the Bolgoda Lake, funding is required for the construction of a pier, the laying of lanes and other related issues. "The University of Moratuwa is helping us with the logistics like the creation of stake boat starts and the laying of course buoys," said Mr. Henry.

An event like the SAF Games also requires athletes to commence training at least ten to twelve months in advance. Thus, if Sri Lanka is looking to make impressions in the rowing arena at the next SAF Games, the national contingent, in theory, should have access to the required equipment by December the latest.

"We will be submitting a budget proposal to the Ministry next month via the National Olympic Committee," said the President. "International fours events are raced in coxless fours, and Sri Lanka still does not have a single such boat," said Mr Henry. "We are thus appealing to the Ministry to provide the national governing body with at least four such boats to ensure the continuous training of the team," said the President.

Sri Lanka's lack of enthusiasm to the sport however stands in stark contrast to our neighbours' attitude to the discipline. Both the India and Pakistan national teams train throughout the year. Their respective governments provide them with the necessary infrastructure, funding and coaching to ensure that they perform at regional level.

The Sri Lankan team, despite being short on funding and equipment made the country proud at the last SAF Games by beating both countries in various events. If given the relevant support, the team may well be ready to take Sri Lankan rowing to new heights next year. Countries like Bangladesh and Afghanistan will also take part in next year's SAF rowing events.

"We do not want cash prizes or rewards like those received by athletes from so many other sports," said one veteran rower. "We just want the proper equipment to train with and win," he said.

The Sunday Times also spoke to a few authoritative sources within the rowing community about the future of Sri Lanka rowing. "The ARASL should be looking at creating a permanent base for its activities," said the source. "The national body at present borrows its boats from its various affiliated institutions - a situation that should be reversed in the ideal setting," explained the source. The government should thus be looking at equipping the ARASL with enough funding to purchase their own boats and lake premises.

Rowing in general is also one of the least commercially funded sports. While the corporate sector allocates large amounts of funding for far less successful sports, the rowing community finds it hard to run many events due to lack of funding. "In order for the success of national rowing to continue, some corporate sector funding is also very important," said the source.

"It is also important that new sources be tapped when looking for potential athletes," said the veteran rower. "Qualified people need to go out and spot raw talent for development," explained the source. "All in all, Sri Lanka needs to adopt a set of training schemes that are suitable to the country's social and economic background," said the rower.

The adoption of such techniques, along with increased government and private sector funding could clearly advance the standard of rowing in the country.

The national team's performance at the last SAF Games clearly shows that Sri Lanka is ready to take on the region. With a little help from the country, they may soon be ready to take on the whole of Asia.

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