Yupun wanted Rs.100 million says Minister

Reacting to champion runner Yupun Abeykoon’s decision to retire from track and field sports at the age of 31, Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage revealed on Wednesday that the sprinter had asked for a whopping Rs. 100 million in keeping with a pledge made by a former Sports Minister Harin Fernando four years ago.

While thanking everyone from A to Z in a lengthy statement, Abeykoon who is living and working in Italy said on Social media: “The decision to retire from sports when there was still time to play was by no means an easy one to make. Let’s talk about why and what happened. Let’s talk about the current state of sports in Sri Lanka. See you in the next chapter”.

But Minister Gamage said his predecessor Harin Fernando’s agreement to may Abeykoon Rs 100 million was absurd.

“Former Minister Harin Fernando had promised Yupun Abeykoon 300,000 US dollars (Rs. 100 million four years ago) and that is something we are not in a position to dole out.

“We pay athletes only on performance. We pay athletes only on current performance not because some former Minister had promised to pay this amount.

“We would like Yupun to come and perform like all other athletes, but we cannot give him what he asked (Rs.100 million).

“In the past there had been a scheme to pay athletes based on performance and we too have such a programme to pay them on performances. Last month we doled out Rs.60 million for athletes (who performed) and that is the laid down procedure.

“We can only tell a sportsman to perform and performing is left to them. They have a right to perform and have a right not to perform, that’s left to them. We cannot force anyone”, said Minister Gamage at a Press conference on Wednesday. 

In July 2022 Abeykoon ran the 100 metres in 9.96 seconds at a meet in Switzerland which was the fastest by a South Asian sprinter.

He failed to make headway at the Tokyo Olympics finishing sixth in the heats with a time of 10.32.