With the change in the political scenario of a new government replacing the former could be very impacting on the Sri Lankan sports hemisphere by all accounts. That is on the face of the doings from the top beginning with the sports ministry to mainstream sports administration. Reportedly, there have been many red herrings in the 10-year long drawn UPFA government sports administrative nerve centre where take offs have not been on an even playing field. Appointment to key areas down the line have seen blue eyed men and women of the outgoing sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage holding key positions are issues running into question; like for instance, Ms. Olivia Gamage as Director General of Sports, another heading the Sugathadasa Sports Complex and still another a virtual outsider drawing a fat salary from the country’s cricket board – Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) payroll. If that is one can of worms, a bigger can of worms is the Sports Ministry’s arbitrary handing over of national cricket telecasting rights to Carlton Sports Network (CSN) run by a member of the Mahinda Rajapaksa family. This has been an action seriously in conflict with the sports act which specifically stipulates that such telecasting rights should be vested in the hands of the State voice – Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.
That the Rupavahini Corporation was stripped of the cricket telecasting rights it once long enjoyed and handed to CSN some years ago is an issue that has run into much opposition by other TV stations in the local market. Vociferous protests were mounted with former Sri Lanka cricket captain turned politician, Arjuna Ranatunga, who also headed the country’s cricket board at one time, challenging the legality of this move. The turnaround on the political hemisphere saw Ranatunga in the thick of things in batting for incumbent President, Maithripala Sirisena in defeating longtime president, Mahinda Rajapaksa. That being so, if the loud mouthing against illegal doings of the past regime by Ranatunga and the Maithripala Coalition, now largely comprising a UNP strong cabinet headed by Prime Minister, Ranil Wickramasinghe, is bound to spark a cleanup of things. Ranatunga, was in fact, at the forefront on echoing deep concern that the country’s sports development was eroding due to irregularities that undermined its smooth function. As such, it will be interesting to see the developments in the impending 100-day cleanup operation promised by the Maithripala Sirisena government where the correctness of where the country’s sports is heading to. In that light, several heads are on line to roll in giving a new facelift to sports administration in particular which had been terribly spiked due to improper appointments to key areas. This has been a eroding component down the line where the wrong people at the wrong places has seen much infighting leading to the appointment of interim committees, removal of coaches with even sportsmen at large being affected in the crossfire. Consequently, several top players have been victimized with the most glaring one being that of the national badminton champion being frozen from competing in the 2014 nationals.
It is nothing new that most of the sports bodies are strife torn such as the Sri Lanka National Amateur Aquatic Sports Union (NAASU) where it is a virtual one-man show in the running of things as much as it is said to be a two-man show at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association where a top official is privy to calling the shots in favoring a supportive coach because of his influence in the Stock Market. This ‘you scratch my head, I’ll scratch your head’ pattern has been a hugely decimating feature in Sri Lankan sports administration, and sure enough the sports loving public who have been affected by these misdemeanors will be surely waiting with their hands outstretched clamoring for fair play.
http://sporty.lk/en/will-political-change-bring-cleanup-of-sports-mismanagement/
That the Rupavahini Corporation was stripped of the cricket telecasting rights it once long enjoyed and handed to CSN some years ago is an issue that has run into much opposition by other TV stations in the local market. Vociferous protests were mounted with former Sri Lanka cricket captain turned politician, Arjuna Ranatunga, who also headed the country’s cricket board at one time, challenging the legality of this move. The turnaround on the political hemisphere saw Ranatunga in the thick of things in batting for incumbent President, Maithripala Sirisena in defeating longtime president, Mahinda Rajapaksa. That being so, if the loud mouthing against illegal doings of the past regime by Ranatunga and the Maithripala Coalition, now largely comprising a UNP strong cabinet headed by Prime Minister, Ranil Wickramasinghe, is bound to spark a cleanup of things. Ranatunga, was in fact, at the forefront on echoing deep concern that the country’s sports development was eroding due to irregularities that undermined its smooth function. As such, it will be interesting to see the developments in the impending 100-day cleanup operation promised by the Maithripala Sirisena government where the correctness of where the country’s sports is heading to. In that light, several heads are on line to roll in giving a new facelift to sports administration in particular which had been terribly spiked due to improper appointments to key areas. This has been a eroding component down the line where the wrong people at the wrong places has seen much infighting leading to the appointment of interim committees, removal of coaches with even sportsmen at large being affected in the crossfire. Consequently, several top players have been victimized with the most glaring one being that of the national badminton champion being frozen from competing in the 2014 nationals.
It is nothing new that most of the sports bodies are strife torn such as the Sri Lanka National Amateur Aquatic Sports Union (NAASU) where it is a virtual one-man show in the running of things as much as it is said to be a two-man show at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association where a top official is privy to calling the shots in favoring a supportive coach because of his influence in the Stock Market. This ‘you scratch my head, I’ll scratch your head’ pattern has been a hugely decimating feature in Sri Lankan sports administration, and sure enough the sports loving public who have been affected by these misdemeanors will be surely waiting with their hands outstretched clamoring for fair play.
http://sporty.lk/en/will-political-change-bring-cleanup-of-sports-mismanagement/
