Ceylon Today Editorial

Developing school athletes no easy task

17 December 2016

Up to the 1960s there was no political involvement, especially, in school sports events like the junior national and the public schools meets. We do not mean by that, school children should be banished from being in the limelight in sporting programmes. If activity related to traditional dance rituals and entertainment needs to be carried out by them it would be quite alright with their involvement in such activity at these events. It should be done not only with the idea of happiness in the minds of the VIP attending these events, but school children participating in these entertainment proceedings should also gain from it as well. At the moment there seems to be the feeling that all such activity, not having any costs attached to it, is done for the mere promotion of ministers' stature and it is nothing but political.

In the year 1962, in which year were the national sports festival was introduced it ended up as a never before seen event that was very successful, there was a need to have the programme held annually. Sadly while this new culture got in the act and developed, the public schools meet with a long tradition with adornments such as the John Tarbet and Jefferson and a host of other trophies decorating the 'Pubs' as it was fondly known was lost in the power of ministerial corridors, but, John Tarbet still holds sway. This should never have happened. Also losing were the athletic clubs that had meaning in the promotion of athletics to a great degree.

The new programme that is being introduced now is a very good programme if it is properly guided along. Regulating all sports is a must at this present situation. For it to fall into the proper track, then, athletic clubs should also make a comeback. The schools programmes according to what Sunil Jayaweera the author of this new programme was heard saying is that once the athlete came out of the school it is the federation's responsibility to get him to the international stage. If you look at the most successful of all sports in Sri Lanka Cricket, it definitely requires the cricket clubs to develop players' as well as the new evolutions coming through to the game. So does football which has lost its capacity to grow as a result of not having a proper club structure. It is only the top rung clubs that get the limelight due to their capacity to promote political agendas. In the lower level picture clubs suffer due to neglect. This is because the lower rank football leagues as with track and field that gets the opportunity, has no chance to promote activities of those who matter.

It is only athletics, next to cricket that has made any kind of impact internationally. Then what has kept Sri Lanka away from the glory it deserves in the international arena. Sunil Jayaweera in a recent TV discussion said that his new programme for sports will make certain that Sri Lankan schools will have a proper programme introduced to develop the kind of athlete necessary to get on the international stage.

From what has been seen in the past only two sports have gained from the programme introduced by the British who introduced modern sports to the island. All sports that were introduced had similar programmes but never got off to a start but for cricket, track and field that did well internationally. Most sports did have programmes for physical fitness and training but with the growth of sport was the requirement for newer methods but that got lost with Sri Lanka not having the potential with locals that were capable of introducing such a programme in sports.

Now Sunil Jayaweera has appeared with this new publication that gives the much needed potential for coaches and trainers to get involved with the making of the proper athlete. According to him, this will enable the physical trainers of the children to develop them into being international class athletes. Even in Europe and the USA the planning of athletes for the international stage begins at their schools. That is the age where the children grow, and according to Sunil, very soon we will have the athlete that can match their opponents in size as well as strength, and that had been missing in Sri Lanka except for some in the urban areas.

But, there is the sixty four thousand Dollar question to be answered, going from the latest school curriculum: who is going to be in charge of furthering their progress to fit these athletes in the international stage? Is Sunil Jayaweera interested in seeing all the milk going down the drain after going through his newly developed theory? Is it not the place to give it back to clubs and put it in the hands of experts; and if concurrently done, these specialists should also be developed alongside the programme either locally with foreign coaches and trainers or by being sent abroad through the clubs. This can be done by strengthening the clubs with proper financial backing. This is where the dormant National Olympic Committee can play a reasonable hand doing the spade work on this. That way they can serve the country better after all these years of helping only themselves.