Free insurance coverage for national level athletes: Dayasiri Jayasekera

• Training for athletes for the 2020 Olympics to start from next year
• Ministry of Sports to grade all athletic coaches next year

Text and pix by P. D. de Silva

“The Ministry of Sports will be taking out insurance coverage for all national level athletes next year,” said Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekera, addressing athletes and guests at the colours awards ceremony organised by the Matara District Athletics Association (MDAA) last Friday.

“We have been unable to win a medal at the Olympic Games after Susanthika Jayasinghe achieved this feat fifteen years ago. Countries like China and Japan start their search for future Olympians from the five to six-year age group and provide them with the necessary guidance and training to be the world’s top athletes. In the past, the Ministry of Education did not look kindly to promote sports at school level as it clashed with studies but they have changed their attitude now and have accepted that every child should engage in some sport. We will commence training our athletes for the 2020 Olympics from next year. A high altitude training centre will be established in Nuwara Eliya while residential training program will be held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Athletics Stadium at Diyagama.

The Ministry of Sports will be grading all athletic coaches next year. There will be five levels, the bottom rung being level one. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a Sports Diplomacy Unit to obtain the services of foreign coaches. We have got our National Sports Policy in line now and it is time to implement it,” the Minister added.

State Minister of Finance Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said that a cabinet decision was taken to recognise the NVQ 3 standard as equivalent to the GCE Ordinary Level while the NVQ 4 standard will be equivalent to having passed the GCE Advanced Level and NVQ 7 to be equivalent to a first degree. The MDAA awarded colours to all the top athletes at both senior and junior levels, coaches and past and present members of the association for their contribution to develop sports in the district.