“Incheon deserters black-listed”
I refer to the article under the above caption written by you appearing in the Sunday Times of October 12 2014, stating “the last such occasion occurred when a member of the Sri Lankan Cycling Team went missing at the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow months ago”, which is incorrect and misleading and not becoming of an esteemed newspaper such as the Sunday Times.In this regard I wish to categorically state that there were no deserters from the contingent to the Commonwealth Games 2014. 153 Athletes and Officials participated in the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and every single one of them returned to Sri Lanka on the due date after the Games. This fact should have been verified by you before you went into print.
Your statement has caused irreparable damages and tarnished the reputation of the Cycling Federation of Sri Lanka, and, therefore, it is my duty as Chef de Mission to the 20th Commonwealth Games, to request you to make the necessary corrections in your forthcoming edition of the Sunday Times, and give it equal prominence.
- Nishanthe Piyasena, Chef de Mission, XX Commonwealth Games – Glasgow
Sports Editor’s Note: Our reporter went by a foreign news item which stated that a Sri Lanka cyclist went missing in London, during the said games. However all our efforts to get at Mr. Piyasena, to clarify the said news report, turned futile as he did not answer the phone calls or did call us back.
However we regret our error.