An Olympian Con

The performance of Sri Lanka’s team at the recently concluded Olympics was so pathetic that it looked almost comic. Our team, of about eight athletes, was accompanied by a team of officials numbering nearly 50.

The travel, hotels and daily expenses of all these people is met by the Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka.

Needless to say we won no medals and in many events did not even qualify to participate.

When our athletic standards are so low, why did nearly 50 officials accompany these athletes?

It is obvious that the Olympic organisation in Sri Lanka is very corrupt and the officials are there only for the money and junkets.

I know one prominent official who came into the Olympic organisation as a representative of tennis. This person has not played tennis at any competitive level nor even represented his club, which is the Colombo Swimming Club. That is how bad his tennis is! 

The Sports Law requires an official of a sports body to have at least played some representative sport, to be in the national body. But he maneuvered himself through politics as he was from the same school as the former President. Later he supported SF. Although he was no tennis player he became president of the Tennis Association. Then although he was no athlete either, he became the Secretary of the National Olympic Committee.

Every year these officials of the Olympic Committee make about six trips abroad with Olympic funds. This time he was the manager of our Olympic team to Rio.

Some time back they made an announcement that the Olympic organisation was independent and could not be dictated to by the Sports Ministry. While there is some merit in this attitude it now seems that they use that independence only to misuse public funds with no one to supervise.

In any other country after the poor showing at the Olympics the officials would resign. But not in little Sri Lanka. These officials, some of whom have never played any sport, continue to make money while our athletics remains a sorry mess.

Sports Lover