NSF begins in ‘paddy field’-like muddy track

The National Sports Festival (NSF), the country’s premier multi-sport and track and field competition, is set to begin here at the Vincent Dias Stadium in Badulla. But lack of top national athletes, almost ‘paddy field’-like muddy grass track, inclement weather and bizarre scheduling, means its set to be the worst, if not one of the worst National Sports Festival’s ever.
The Education Ministry and the Schools Athletics Association changed the venue of all their competitions which were to be held in several outstations, to the synthetic track at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo due to inclement weather conditions, as they realised athletes will have a hard time competing on muddy grass tracks.
However, it seems officials of the Ministry of Sports, who have the responsibility to drive the country’s sports forward, doesn’t seem to have realised that as they were very focused on holding their premier track and field event once again on a grass track despite weather conditions.
The track at Vincent Dias Stadium was almost like a paddy field last evening, and athletes had to wade through the muddy field for the opening ceremony and compelled to listen to several unrealistic promises by the Minister of Sports.
“I had a wish to bring this NSF to Badulla to uplift sports in Badulla,” said the Minister during his speech, revealing whose idea it was to hold this event in Badulla despite several obstacles.
Competing athletes will face the possibility of getting injured due to the muddy and slippery conditions, and several SAG pool athletes said they are going to take a decision based on weather and ground conditions prior to their events.
Since the NSF schedule is clashing with the World Military Games and with the South Asian Games scheduled to be held in a month’s time, more than 20 top national athletes already opted out from the event. To top that, a muddy outfield means the performance of athletes at this year’s NSF is going to be one of the lowest.

Department of Sports Development has offered bigger cash prizes and promised motor cars for the two best athletes, while they have changed the schedule on the first two days to conduct events under lights, avoiding the afternoon session which has a high probability of rain. They have also offered Rs. 100,000 to any athlete establishing a Sri Lanka record, even though conditions here will not be helpful even to get close to any Sri Lanka record, except may be for the women’s pole vault event.
The NSF lamp was lit by 400m Olympic hurdler Harijan Rathnayaka and former National football player Shanika Rajapaksha, after receiving the torch from Prasanna Amarasekara and Shashika Vidanaguruge. The player’s oath was given by SAG medallist sprinter Omaya Udayangani.