Strangled in the cradle

Strangled in the cradle officials fiddle, sport dwindles, youth swindled

 By. Callistus Davy

May.06 (Mirror Sports) - Whoever declared that volleyball should be the National game of Sri Lanka must be rolling in his or her grave if not kicking their heels as the sport has been dealt a virtual death blow in the cradle. 

On Wednesday the Daily Mirror exclusively reported that a group of selected boys and girls were ordered to go back to their classrooms as the Sports Ministry headed by Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage did not have Rs. 20 million to see them off to contest a much looked forward to and cherished Asian U-18 tournament in Uzbekistan.

Purists and sports watchers will argue 20 million is like pocket change to some people in a country where shady acts are the name of the game. 

Weeks before, the Sports Ministry doled out Rs.70 million to ensure 32 officials accompanied 77 athletes at the Asian Beach Games in China. 

Minister Gamage appeared from almost nowhere, a virtual parachutist, and was one of the last to walk up and accept his portfolio during the swearing-in ceremony of Ministers which only indicated the blatant undermining of sports in the island by the new government. 

Today almost two years down the line Minister Gamage does not seem to know about the plight of the boys and girls involved in the country’s National sport who put aside their school books, trained and drained their hearts out, gave their doting parents and guardians high hopes and even spent their family funds preparing for the youth tournament by way of obtaining passports and clothes. 

Minister Gamage is yet to prove that he did anything drastic for the welfare of sports, leave aside volleyball which has been branded the national sport. 

While the youth volleyball girls and boys learnt their dream had become a nightmare, Minister Gamage was on a roll shaking hands with members of what was called an Under-85kgs New Zealand rugby team from All Blacks country in Colombo and up in the hills. 

Perhaps Minister Gamage was thrust into a set-up he knows he cannot clean up. 

With President Anura Kumara Dissanayake finally caving in to pressure and at long last or reluctantly purging Sri Lanka Cricket, the second entity the National Olympic Committee that enjoys international clout and funding produced one of the most shocking election results like the magician who pulls out rabbits from his hat.

In Sri Lanka the same old faces go round and round the mulberry bush in the game of musical chairs. What was witnessed by way of the outcome of office-bearers to the National Olympic Committee, another tainted organisation, is the same old faces that have been tried and tested back in the saddle from one sport to another to the hottest and most coveted seat that administers over 40 sports, volleyball included. 

With Minister Gamage at the helm, nothing is expected to change. He knows why. He’ll be another also-ran.