Sports
Ministry of Education continues to fail track and field sports
by Reemus Fernando
In England last year, a 12-year-old girl ran a five kilometer road race in a time of 16 minutes and 40 seconds to establish the world record of her age category. In Australia athletes as young as 13 years of age run 1,500 metres events at Athletics Australia All Schools Championships. But in Sri Lanka young children gifted with endurance abilities never see their talent being identified thanks to a stagnated competition structure persevered by the Ministry of Education. Though the knowledgeable individuals have proposed to include such events at Under 14, 16 and 18 categories to encourage endurance events on more than one occasion, they have fallen on deaf ears. The enthusiasts were hoping for positive changes to the track and field competition structure this year when the Ministry of Education commence competitions after a long hiatus due to the Covid 19 pandemic, but the latest circular streamlining schools sports has pathetically failed to introduce positive reforms to its track and field competitions.
The directors of sports of Zonal and Provincial level were introduced the new circular recently. But several Provincial and Zonal Directors of Sports have cited flaws and have requested immediate changes to the new regulations that are set to discourage endurance events and have negative effects on outstation athletes.
According to the new circular 80metres and 100 metres are the only track events for Under 14 age category and all events in the Under 12 and Under 14 age categories will be conducted as competitive events.
“If you take the results of these events at Zonal, Provincial and All Island level you often see the same athlete winning both events as this short distance will test only one quality, which is speed. You need to have a longer distance probably the 600 metres or the 800 metres to test endurance ability, said Sanjeewa Weerakkody, the coach of South Asian Games medallist Amasha de Silva when The Island contacted on this regard.
“Conducting them as competitive events for this age category is not the best idea as coaches tend to concentrate on specific training for the event leading to early burnout. You do not see many athletes who excel at this level making it to senior national level. That is one of the reasons for Sri Lanka failing at Asian level in athletics in recent times,” said Weerakkody who is also an Assistant Director of Education (Sports) of the Zonal Education Office, Kandy.
Anura Bandara, the coach of Olympian and Asian Games gold medallist Sugath Thilakaratne expressed similar sentiments questioning the absence of even a 200 metres for the Under 14 age category.
The Under 16 age category has the 800 metres but the 4×800 metres relay which was there from the inception at the Relay Carnival until three years ago has not been included though there were calls to do so. The long distance medley relay which was reintroduced to the Under 18 age category in 2019 has been scrapped again delivering a blow to the outstation schools who dominate the event.
“The athletes of Central, Uva and Sabaragamu provinces generally dominate long distance events. The absence of these events will deny opportunities for outstation athletes. Currently Sri Lanka is getting stronger in the 800 metres in Asia. Those school children who get encouraged by this new trend should be given more opportunities. Long distance relays are a must to promote it,” opined Susantha Fernando, the coach of several national and junior national record holders of long and middle distance events.
Fernando is credited for making Ratnayake Central, Walala the athletics stronghold of the country and has helped many a school children reach national and international level. However such veterans have not been consulted in formulating the new circular, though the coaches of other sports have been consulted in formulating new regulations regarding schools sports.
The 3000 metres event is competed worldwide in the Under 18 age category. The World Athletics Youth events and Asian Youth events include the distance event. Sri Lanka Athletics too conduct the distance track event for the Under 18 age category at its Junior National Championships. The Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association has the discipline for the Under 18 age category at its Senior John Tarbat Athletics Championships. Despite requests to include it the Education Ministry has not given though to include the event to the Schools games athletics championship.
An official of the newly elected Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association too expressed concern over the lack of interest shown by the Education Ministry officials to promote long distance events despite Sri Lanka winning its only Youth Olympic medal in history in such a discipline.
Paarami Wasanthi won a Youth Olympic bronze in the 2000 metres steeplechase in 2018 and a gold in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the Asian Junior Championships the same year when she was still 18 years old.
With the country celebrating its centenary year in athletics this year it would be only appropriate that the Ministry of Education give track and field sports the recognition it richly deserves and the knowledgeable people are consulted when taking vital decisions.
North Korea has held the Pyongyang International Marathon for the first time in six years, welcoming some 200 foreign runners to the streets of the reclusive country’s capital.
The marathon, which was launched in 1981, took place annually in April to celebrate the birth of its founding leader Kim Il Sung.
Before Sunday’s marathon, the race was last held in 2019, wherein 950 foreigners participated. North Korea sealed itself off the following year, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
North Korea has been slow to reopen since, allowing only Russian tourists into its capital since last year.
Runners have had to enter the country as part of an organised tour group, as was the case before the pandemic.
Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based travel agency listed as an “exclusive partner” on the event website, offers six-day marathon tours at 2,195 euros ($2,406) including flights to and from Beijing.
“The Pyongyang Marathon is an extremely unique experience as it provides an opportunity to interact with locals,” the agency wrote on its website.
Sunday’s marathon route took participants past landmarks across the city, including the Kim Il Sung stadium, the Arch of Triumph built to commemorate Kim Il Sung’s role in resisting Japanese rule, and the Mirae Future Scientists’ Street said to be a residential district for scientists and engineers.
Pictures online show the stadium – where runners start and finish their race – filled with spectators, many of them cheering and waving gold-coloured paper flags.
Pak Kum Dong, a North Korean runner, told Reuters news agency: “The eyes of our people on me helped me to bear the difficulties whenever I feel tired.”
There is no publicly available information on race results.
North Korea had only statred to scale back Covid-19 restrictions in the middle of 2023.
In Feburary, it allowed some Western tourists into the remote, eastern city Rason, but suspended those tours just weeks after.
[BBC]
Noor Ahmad, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm wristspinner, continues to head the Purple Cap table with ten wickets from four games. His spell of 4 for 18 in CSK’s first game against MI, remains his best so far.
DC’s Mitchell Starc who picked up his maiden five-for in T20s, against SRH remains second on the list with nine wickets in three games.
GT’s Mohammed Siraj equalled Starc’s tally on Sunday night with his own IPL best, albeit he has played four games to Starc’s three. Siraj picked up 4 for 17 against SRH to hand them their four successive loss, and was named the Player of the Match.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) suffered another batting malfunction, this time on a slow, black-soil surface at home, crashing to their fourth successive defeat in IPL 2025. Having lost Travishek in the powerplay, SRH waited until the 13th over to see the first six of the innings, and managed only one more after that Mohammad Siraj caused irreparable damage right from the start, ending with his career-best IPL figures of 4 for 17.
Pat Cummins’ cameo (22* off nine balls) and then his dismissal of Jos Buttler for a duck in Gujarat Titans’ (GT) chase of 153 gave SRH some hope, but that faded away once Washington Sundar clattered 23 off nine balls in the powerplay. Earlier in the day, GT didn’t need Washington with the ball, but his attacking enterprise at No. 4 settled their chase on a slow pitch. Washington fell agonisingly short of a maiden IPL half-century, but his captain Shubman Gill ushered GT home, with an unbeaten 61 off 43 balls, along with Sherfane Rutherford.
Siraj had sparked the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to life when he gave Travis Head a send-off in Adelaide last December. Four months on, Siraj was bowling to Head for the first time in T20s, and the battle lasted just five balls. After Head scored two fours off Siraj, the fast bowler struck with his trademark wobble-seam delivery, having him chip a catch to midwicket for 8.
Abhishek Sharma hit four fours before Siraj had him miscuing a catch to mid-on in his third over of the powerplay. It was Siraj’s 100th wicket in the IPL and sixth in the powerplay, the most by a bowler in that phase so far this season, with an economy rate of 6.27.
Siraj then returned in the death to york both Aniket Verma, the last recognised batter for SRH, and Simarjeet Singh, their Impact Player.
With both Head and Abhishek gone early,Rashid Khan, who was coming into this game on the back of figures of 4-0-54-0, could afford to ease himself in. He started fairly well by giving away just 10 runs in his first two overs, but when he erred in length, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klassen dispatched him to the fence. Rashid finished with 4-0-31-0, going wicketless for a third successive game, and with tournament figures of 1 for 143 in 14 overs at an economy rate of 10.21
Left-arm fingerspinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, on the other hand, showed remarkable control over his length and variations. He claimed the big wicket of Klaasen by knocking him over with a quick dart, which skidded off the pitch, for 27 off 19 balls. Sai Kishore also had Reddy holing out for 31 off 34 balls and finished with 4-0-24-2.
That SRH passed 150 was down to Cummins’ late blows. He was the only SRH batter in the top eight to have a strike rate of over 160.
It appeared like GT had handed a franchise debut to Washington to primarily match his offspin up with SRH’s left-hander heavy top order. But with Siraj dominating the powerplay and Sai Kishore taking care of the middle overs, GT ended up not using his offspin.
Washington then walked out to bat at No. 4 after his childhood friend B Sai Sudarshan and Buttler fell cheaply in successive overs. Washington took advantage of the last over of the powerplay, smoking Simarjeet for two sixes and two fours. It provided a throwback to Washington of 2016, when he opened the batting, alongside Abhinav Mukund, in the TNPL and showed the intent to hit over the top. Just like that, Washington dumped SRH’s Impact Player out of the attack.
Washington continued to attack even after that. When the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis darted one on the stumps with his right hand, Washington manufactured swinging room and laced him over extra-cover for four. Washington seemed set for a fifty until he holed out one shy of the landmark in the 14th over.
Gill, who had already crossed 50 by that point, finished the job along with Rutherford, who hit an unbeaten 35 off 16 balls.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 153 for 3 in 16.4 overs (Shubman Gill 61*, Washington Sundar 49, Sherfaine Rutherford 35*; Mohammed Shami 2-28, Pat Cumminss 1-26) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 152 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 18, Ishan Krishan 17, Nitish Kumar Reddy 31, Heinrich Klassen 27, Aniket Verma 18,Pat Cummins 22*; Mohammed Siraj 4-17, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore 2-24, Prasidh Krishna 2-25)by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
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