Sports
Education reforms should include physical education for all grades – Athletics coach Susantha Fernando
Reputed athletic coach and Assistant Director of Education at Wattegama Education Zone, Susantha Fernando highlighted the need to introduce physical education as a subject for all grades from 1 to 13. Fernando, who has been the coach and mentor of many a national athlete at their student years at Ratnayake Central Walala reiterated the importance of introducing physical education as a seperate subject when the government implements the proposed educational reforms.
Fernando, who has influenced many of his charges at Ratnayake Central to become physical education teachers has been a vehemant critique of the merger of physical education and health science in early 2000s.
”One of the major requirements in the schools education system is to separate physical education and health science and introduce physical education as a practical subject from grade one to 13,” said Fernando on the sidelines of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championship at Diyagama where he was felicitated by Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association.
”According to the newly introduced education reforms the subject of physical education and health science are going to be bucket subjects for grade 10 and 11. With nearly 25% of the student population suceptible to falling prey to non transmittable deceases, drastic measures should be taken to address the situation. I recommend physical education for all grades from 1 to 13. This will help students to become physically and mentally healthy throughout their student years. We can not expect a student to be healthy if he or she is confined only to books. Untill 2001 physical education was a separate subject at schools but from then on physical education and health science became one subject.”
”Currently Sri Lanka is the only country where both these subjects are merged and taught at schools,” said Fernando.
Fernando the coach and mentor of Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunaratne has five other proposals which he consider vital for the development of student athletes.
They are:
Introduction of ‘Kids athletics’ programm introduced by World Athletics from grade 1-5,
Conduct physical fitness tests for students from grade six to 13 each term and include the points obtained in the report cards,
Hold a talent identification test for students in grade eight to identify future prospects in sports,
Make it compulsory for students above grade six to engage in at least one practical sport and
A physical fitness test for all students facing O/L and A/L examinations and grade their level of fitness accordingly (A, B, C, S, W etc..) and include them in the results of the examination.
Susantha has vast experience as a middle and long distance coach. While he has been involved in physical education for more than three decades he has also influenced more than 400 of his charges at Ratnayake Central to become physical education teachers during the last three decades. He has an enviable record of more than 70 international medals as a coach.
He was felicitated for his service on the opening day of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championship at Diyagama on Monday.
by Reemus Fernando
[Cricbuzz]
Former Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur has voiced disappointment over remarks made by Chairman of Selectors Pramodya Wickramasinghe, who last week claimed that Arthur was reluctant to include a young Pathum Nissanka during Sri Lanka’s tour of the Caribbean in 2021.
In his first media briefing, Wickramasinghe said it was he who pushed for Nissanka’s inclusion despite Arthur’s reservations. The former coach has flatly denied the allegation, calling it wide of the mark.
“I am very disappointed with Pramodya’s comments,” Arthur told Telecom Asia Sport. “The right people know exactly how I felt about Pathum. There was never any doubt that he was our future. I don’t want any credit for Pathum’s success. That belongs entirely to his hard work. I simply gave him an opportunity because the talent was impossible to ignore.”
Arthur said Nissanka’s domestic form had left little room for debate. “He was scoring runs for fun and the sheer weight of them made it impossible not to take a look. Once he joined the squad on tour, his attitude and work ethic were truly remarkable. From that moment, there was no doubt this bloke was going places,” Arthur added.
Even before Nissanka’s elevation to the senior side, Arthur had publicly spoken of his admiration for young prospects such as Nissanka and Charith Asalanka, stressing the importance of giving emerging players a long rope. His view was simple: once talent is identified and the attitude checks out, selectors and team management must back those players through thick and thin.
Arthur arrived in Sri Lanka with a formidable résumé, having coached South Africa, Australia and Pakistan. He placed a premium on fitness and fielding and under his watch a team in transition began to show signs of turning the corner. At the end of his tenure, Arthur opted not to renew his contract and instead took up a stint in English county cricket with Derbyshire.
As for Nissanka, he has scarcely put a foot wrong since breaking into the side. There was a Test hundred on debut in the West Indies, followed last year by a match-winning unbeaten century against England at The Oval on a lively seaming pitch. In between, he made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred in ODIs. Last week, he was snapped up by Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction.
Nissanka is currently ranked third in T20 internationals and is knocking on the door of the top ten in both Tests and ODIs.
73rd National Badminton Championship
Defending champions Viren Nettasinghe and Ranithma Liyanage made a fitting end to their campaigns of the 2025 season, by defending the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles titles as Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige clinched the Women’s Open Doubles title at the 73rd National Badminton Championship, concluded at the S. Thomas’ College Indoor Sports Complex, Mount Lavinia on Wednesday (24).
Viren clinically overcame each of his opponents from the Round of 32, all in straight sets, to reach the final. The country’s top Men’s Singles shuttler continued his form against Rasindu Hendahewa in the final, winning in straight sets to defend the title. Viren defeated Rasindu 21-10 and 21-14 to win his second national title in style.
Ranithma aptly defended her Women’s Open Singles title by recording a comfortable straight sets win against Rashmi Mudalige in an absorbing final that lasted nearly 45 minutes. Though the title decider stretched way longer than anticipated, Ranithma managed to seal the victory by recording set wins of 21-12 and 21-18 to claim the national title for the second year running.
Fourth seed pair Sanuda Ariyasinghe and Thisath Rupathunga created an upset by toppling top seeds Oshamika Karunarathne and Thulith Palliyaguru in a lengthy final that went down to the wire in the Men’s Open Doubles. Sanuda and Thisath won the first set 21-15, but the top pair bounced back to level the game one-all with a 21-18 win. But the gritty pair of Sanuda and Thisath maintained their composure to overcome the favourites 21-15 in the decider and claim the Men’s Open Doubles title.
Varangana Jayawardana and Rashmi Mudalige completed a successful campaign to defend the Women’s Open Doubles title from last year, this time overcoming the aspiring pair of Dilni Ambalangodage and Ranumi Manage in straight sets. Varangana and Rashmi remained unbeaten throughout, as they ended the unblemished run of Dilni and Ranumi with set wins of 21-13 and 21-18.
The Mixed Open Doubles title was claimed by Thulith Palliyaguru and Panchali Adhikari, who battled for 45 minutes to overcome Aashinsa Herath and Rashmi Mudalige 2-1 in the final. After conceding the first set by 12-21, Thulith and Panchali regrouped to claim the next two sets 21-18 and 21-15.
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