Junior athletes hit the jackpot – seniors still at bay

In a refreshing change, Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha came up with a long-term funding programme until the 2024 Olympic Games for nine junior athletes who won medals at the Asian Junior athletic championships held in June in Gifu, Japan.
Accordingly, a Junior athlete will be paid Rs 75,000 per month until 2024 while a coach will get paid Rs 20,000 per month for the same period.

“We should treat these athlete as national treasures and the Sports Ministry will make all necessary arrangements to facilitate them so that they can focus on the 2024 Olympic Games,” said Minister Musthapha during the ceremony to hand over the sponsorships.

The Sports Ministry got the private companies to arrange for the sponsorships and did not forget to thank all those companies that came forward to support the programme.
Even though junior athletes hit the jackpot, senior athletes who had far better performances, were not paid their monthly nutrition allowances since April though it’s less than a month to go for the Asian Games.

Athletics is billed as top most hope to win medals for Sri Lanka at the Asian Games and several Sri Lankan athletes performed within bronze medal range at the last Asian Games. Sri Lanka’s 4x400m Men’s and 4x400m Mixed relay teams lie second in Asia at the moment. Yet the whole team is demoralized due to non-payment of their allowances in time.

In junior athletics, Sri Lanka won a total of 9 medals at the Asian junior athletic championship in June, the most in the history of athletics. Quarter miler Aruna Darshana of Weerakeppetipola NS Akuramboda shattered the Asian championship (U-20) record to win the gold medal while 17 year-old Parami Wasanthi Marisstella of Kuliyapitiya CC delivered the other individual Gold medal for Sri Lanka in the 3000m Steeple Chase. Pasindu Kodikara (Maliyadeva College Kurunegala), Ravishka Indajith (St. Benedict’s College Kotahena) and Pabasara Niku (Nalanda College Colombo) came together with Aruna to win the third Gold medal in the 4x400m relay. Pasindu also won the 400m Silver medal falling behind Aruna in the finals.

Dilshi Kumarasinghe of A. Ratnayake CC Walala won a triple medal in 400m (Silver), 800M (Bronze) and 4x400m (Bronze) while sprinter Amasha de Silva from Swarnamali GC Kandy also won triple medals in the 100m (Silver), 200m (Silver) and 4x400m (Bronze). Sachini Divyanjali (Lyceum-Wattala) and Romeshi Attidiya (Lyceum –Nugegoda) were the other athletes in the bronze medal winning 4x400m relay team.

Apart from that, Parami Wasanthi also won the Asian qualification trials for the Youth Olympic Games in 2000m Steeple Chase and is ranked number one in the world in the event.

All nine athletes participated in the IAAF World Junior championship earlier this month, where the Boys’ 4x400m relay team went up to the finals, were the only Asian team in the finals.