Finale of National sports Festival begins tomorrow

• Scheduling mishaps leave Asian Heroes in havoc
• Long and triple Jump run up not suitable for competition
• Once again athletes to sleep on school floors
• Southern province to compete under protest

Finals of the 43^rd National Sports festival (NSF) will start tomorrow which will go on till Sunday 24^th at Kotawila Sports complex in Matara which includes three day track and field competition.

NSF which considers as the local Olympics includes 29 sports where 23 of them already finished with only Track and field, Volleyball, Boxing, Football and body Building left to work off.

Once again the athletics competition of the biggest sporting event of the country will be worked off at the grass track instead of synthetics track while scheduling mishaps mad it a  torture for many top athletes to compete in the event.

Asian heroes running against the time

Sri Lanka won four medals including one Gold medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship on Wednesday at Turkmenistan but since official had not consider the dates of Asian Indoor Games when they scheduling the NSF finale . As a result Asian Indoor 800m Gold medalist Gayanthika Abeyrathne, Two silver medalist Indunil Herath , Amila Jayasiri , bronze medalist Manjula Kumara Wijeseakra together with South Asia’s fastest man Himasha Eashan and Triple Jump SL record holder Vidusha Lakshani will have to travel nearly 5000km through two flights within a day to get there on time and even if they get there they will have to compete without rest or recovery time .

Army Meet Rescheduling

It’s no secret that most of the top athletes are employed in tri forces with 70% more of them are with Army  which had made Annual Army athletics championship is the most looked forward meet for them . The event was to held early this month but rescheduling of it for first week of next month. To top that National Youth sports Festival too scheduled in later this month which will start on 27^th. This has left athletes to compete three major championships within 15 days in three different tows where they are looking to make a choice between championships.

Also Some of the top school athlete too eying to skip the Festival or just to run relays there as they are more focused on winning the All Island School games scheduled in second week of October as they did not want to getting injured running in unknown grass track in Matara.

Long Jump run-up  

The Long jump run up of the ground was under Prepared as it was in unusable conditions. It’s said that they had use carpet grass cuttings and used pound it down to make it hard but the uneven run up mean it’s no way ready for jumps.  Men’s Long Jump even produces most outstanding athletes last year at the National sports Festival and athletes aren’t happy about the situation as Sports Ministry had earlier release funds to authorities to take care of the ground situation which isn’t happen as it needed to be.

 Athletes to sleep on floor while official parties

Nevertheless as Usual it will mark another Sports Festival in outstation where athletes will sleep on floors in difficult condition at local schools while officials including those who are contributing anything towards the game will get better accommodation in hotels with facilities and parties yet they will expect athletes to win more and more medals for their respective provinces.

Southern province to compete under protest

Southern province track and field athletes aren’t fond about removing Provincial sports Minister Weerasumana Weerasinghe a week before to the NSF where they are set to compete under protest in the event. They were earlier set to completely ban the Festival but had given up the idea later due to official pressure to compete and had decide do it under protest . They may opt out from attending the Opening Ceremony. Weerasinghe has been good books of Southern province athletes as he took care of Provincial sports in commanding fashion while he made rewards system for provincial records and NSF medals where Southern province sports rose up in last few years as they finished second just behind Western province in the athletics competition of NSF last year.

First day of the competition will have five finals with Men’s 10000m, Women’s 5000m, Triple Jump Men, Shot put Women and discuss Throw women finals will be worked off in the morning where 10,000 will start at 6.30am. The afternoon opening ceremony will be attend by the Prime Minister Ranil wickramasinghe as chief guest along with Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara while the torch will be lighten up  former SL record holder of long jump Sujith Rohitha and former SL record holder of 800m and Olympian Dammika Manike as both hailing from southern province.