‘We need to separate VB and politicians’-Premasiri

By Susil Premalal  
The Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation (SLVB) should avoid retaining the services of politicians and cabinet ministers as top officials if the country is to move beyond the South Asian region.   
These sentiments were expressed by former national volleyball player Koswadiya Sunil Premasiri, a diploma holder in international coaching at the University of Germany in Leipzig.  
Premasiri lamented that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that has promoted politicians to control their volleyball administration repeatedly and urged the SLVB authorities to open the doors to talented players as well.   

According to the FIVB Carant World Rankings the Sri Lanka Men’s Team is in 67th place and Under the Asian Rankings, the Sri Lanka Men’s Team is placed 14th.  
“Sri Lanka is the only country that has named volleyball their national sport and we have been playing for over 100 years. But sadly our Men’s team is yet to win at least the South Asian Championship,” Premasiri stressed.  
“We must appreciate the Women’s Team as they won the South Asian Championship in 1991 defeating India but since then 33 years have passed without any success,” he emphasised.  Premasiri was a former volleyball coach, SLVB vice-president (1996), national selection committee member (1997, 2005, 2007, 2011), sports ministry official and former coach of Puttalam District Volleyball Association.   
Premasiri is an old boy of Koswadiya Saraswathi MV and St. Sebastian’s College, Madampe and was a talented volleyball player where he represented Vijaya SC, Koswadiya and United SC Nattandiya.