Sports
Youth athletes asked to find funds to represent Sri Lanka
by Reemus Fernando
Athletes selected for the forthcoming Asian Youth Athletics Championships have been requested to find funds for their traveling and other expenses as the Ministry of Sports has halted funding teams for foreign tours.
The athletes and their schools have been informed to find funds amounting to rupees 650,000.00 per person for their travel, sources close to athletes told The Island.
“At this current situation, we are unable to provide funds for the air tickets from Colombo to Tashkent and back to Colombo. The air ticket cost will be approximately Rs. 650,000.00 per person. Appreciate, if you could kindly make suitable arrangements to provide funds and permission to participate,” Palitha Jayatilake, the Acting Secretary General of Sri Lanka Athletics has requested in a letter addressed to school principals of the respective athletes.
According to sources Sri Lanka Athletics has received the support of a benefactor to cover a segment of the funds needed for athletes to participate in this championship which will be held from April 20 to 23 in Uzbekistan.
Sri Lanka Athletics picked a team of five athletes including two who won medals at the last edition held in Kuwait.
It is the first time that the country’s athletics governing body had requested athletes to find their own expenses to represent the country as the Sports Ministry has stopped providing funds.
When contacted on this regard a senior official of the sports body said that Sri Lanka Athletics was doing its best to find funds and had requested respective schools to provide necessary funds as a precautionary measure.
The current economic situation has forced many to give up sports as the costs of sports equipment, shoes, spikes and other accessories have skyrocketed during the last one and half years. This is apart from the high costs they have to bear on nutritional needs and traveling. Sri Lanka Athletics too has increased entry fees for events conducted by them.
Although the Sports Ministry has continued to provide funds for athletes in the senior category in elite sports pools, many up-and-coming youth athletes are on the verge of giving up sports due to a lack of financial support and the absence of a system to nurture budding athletes hailing from underprivileged families.
‘Kreeda Shakthi’, a Sports Ministry programme that provided a monthly allowance for junior athletes at the District level also remains inactive since 2021.
On such a backdrop, the efforts of youth athletes who beat the odds to reach qualifying standards to represent the country should be commended and encouraged and it is incumbent upon sports authorities to provide the necessary support for them to realize their aspirations. It will be these athletes who will one day represent the country at the senior level.
Sri Lanka won five medals at the last edition of the Asian Youth Championships. Wickramabahu National School, Gampola athlete Nirmali Wickramasinghe and Lesandu Arthavidu of D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo who won medals at the last edition are among the five athletes who reached qualifying standards for this year’s edition.
The SLAF recognized its outstanding athletes who brought international acclaim by securing medals at the Asian Beach Games 2026 in China. A special felicitation ceremony was held on Wednesday at the Air Force Headquarters under the patronage of the Commander of the Air Force and President Air Force Sports Council, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe.
In appreciation of their exceptional performances in wrestling, kabaddi and long jump, the athletes were promoted to the rank of Corporal. In addition to these promotions, they were awarded special cash prizes in recognition of their dedication and achievements.
The ceremony also highlighted the invaluable contribution of the coaches, whose guidance and commitment played a pivotal role in these successes. The Commander of the Air Force presented special cash awards to the coaches in acknowledgment of their efforts.
Nipuni Wasana Dharmadasa (Gold in wrestling), Hansika Bandara (Silver in
kabaddi), Shanika Bandara (Silver in Kabaddi), Chaminda Samarakoon (Bronze in Kabaddi) and Shashikala Lankathilaka (Bronze in long jump) were the Air Force athletes felicitated.
Tokyo Cement Group, in collaboration with the Mahaweli Authority, launched the 2026 tree-planting season of the Ivuru Rakina Pawuru project near the Polgolla Dam in Kandy, joined by members of the touring New Zealand Under-85kg rugby team. The event reflected the sustained commitment to restoring and safeguarding the banks of the Mahaweli River, gaining international recognition for its far-reaching value creation.
The event brought together officials representing the Mahaweli Authority, the Central Environment Authority, ranking officers of the Sri Lanka Rugby Federation, students from Kandy Model School in Polgolla, and residents of the surrounding community, with members of the New Zealand Under-85kg rugby team, to plant 100 Kumbuk saplings along the riverbank, highlighting a shared dedication to environmental stewardship.
Tokyo Cement Group’s Ivuru Rakina Pawuru programme partners the Ministry of Environment and Mahaweli Authority since 2017, in their concerted efforts to reforest the Mahaweli riverbanks with native species such as Kumbuk and Mee, supporting the sustainable management of vital water catchment areas.
The Double Wicket Cricket Tournament, set to be worked off for the third time later this month, is gathering plenty of momentum with 24 teams set to be in the fray this year, organisers Lanka Heritage Cricket Club announced during a media briefing in Colombo on Wednesday.
The organisers have attracted several sponsors for the much-anticipated event, which will feature cricketers over the age of 45 and by next year they hope to take the tournament global by inviting teams from overseas.
The tournament will be worked off on May 16 and 17 at Moors Cricket Ground with former Sri Lanka batsman Roy Dias gracing the opening ceremony as Chief Guest. Former Sri Lanka captain Anura Tennekoon will attend the final day as Chief Guest and give away the prizes.
The think tank of Lanka Heritage Cricket Club, comprising former St. Joseph’s cricketers Dushan Soza and Susilough de Silva Wijeyratne along with former St. Benedict’s cricketer Basil Perera, have been regulars at the Tamil Union bar, often huddled in a corner with Sir Donald Bradman’s portrait keeping them company. It has now emerged these were not mere drinking sessions, but brainstorming meetings where the pieces of the Double Wicket Tournament were carefully put together.
The tournament promises plenty of fun. Cricket itself is a game of glorious uncertainties and the double wicket format adds another layer of intrigue. Nine independent fielders will patrol the field while the two batters can continue batting despite being dismissed. However, every dismissal carries a penalty of minus five runs. Each team comprises four players, but only two can take the field during a match.
A side may appear to have sealed victory with two balls to spare, only to end up losing the contest. In double wicket cricket, teams must bat out their full quota of two overs and even if the winning runs are scored midway through the over, another dismissal could drag the total into the red. In short, it is never over until the fat lady sings.
A & E has stepped forward as the principal sponsor for the third edition of the tournament alongside Future Life Holdings, LOLC Finance, Phoenix, Nithyakalyani Jewellery, PEO Sports, Janashakthi Group and Chance Sports.
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