“Around 12 percent of the school children in Sri Lanka suffer from diabetes and several non communicable diseases which could lead to a huge problem in the future,” said Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera at a media briefing for heads of media at the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media yesterday.

“According to World Health Organization statistics 18 percent women and 31 percent men from Sri Lankan population are prone to non communicable diseases especially diabetes,”the Minister said.

The programme will be focused on citizens in state organizations, students, youth and women’s affairs, health and indigenous medicine sectors, security services, private entrepreneurships, sports associations, federations, organizations and general public.

The fitness programmes will start at 7.00 am each day. President Maitripala Sirisena and other parliamentarians are also due to take part.

The Minister emphasized that physical fitness activities in schools will be made compulsory and every child should engage in at least one sport. “Children who engaged in sports should be given extra marks in term tests,” the Minister said.

He said he hoped to implement a scheme in collaboration with the Ministry of Education where extra marks will be given in term tests as well as Ordinary Level and Advanced Level exams.

He also stressed that he will be working on re-organizing the Sports Societies in the Grama Sevaka areas around the country.

The Minister also emphasized that those who engaged in sports activities should be given priority when recruiting for jobs.

The Minister of Parliamentary Reforms and Media Gayantha Karunatilleke said this National Programme will not be limited to Colombo but expanded to all areas of the country. “The President has given his fullest support to this programme,” he said.

Deputy Sports Minister H.M.M.Harees, Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Karunaratne Paranavithana, secretaries of the Ministries and other officials were also present at the occasion.

Minister Jayasekera said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe intends to amend the Sri Lanka Cricket constitution after having discussions with the International Cricket Council and the winning candidate in the near future at a press briefing held at the Sports Ministry premises yesterday with regard to the SLC elections.

“The Supreme Court asked the Sports Ministry to facilitate the two camps to contest in the forthcoming AGM of Sri Lanka Cricket,” the Minister said.

“For the first time in Sri Lankan history the Supreme Court sat in judgment of a cricket AGM issue. It was a historical moment,” Minister Jayasekera said.

MOBILE PHONES & WEAPONS BANNED

The Minister drawing up security plans for the elections stated that mobile phones and weapons will be banned during the election period at the ministry premises. “No one can enter with private security or Ministry securities. Special security will be provided with Special Police at the Sports Ministry premises. Only one door will be opened, that is the main gate of the ministry building at Reid Mawatha, opposite the Cinnamon Garden Police,” said Minister Jayasekera.

“All the contestants and the voters are requested to be present at the Sports Ministry auditorium by 9am as our prime plan is to end the elections by 10 am,” he said.

The registration will be done at the entrance on the ground floor and all proceedings of the elections will be recorded by the Ministry Media Unit. The newly appointed office-bearers will meet the media at 11am at the Mini Auditorium of the Sports Ministry.

According to Sports Ministry sources, the duo was engaged in fruitful discussions on developing a mutually beneficial partnership in the field of sports.

“It will encompass exchange of programmes , skills, techniques, knowledge in sports and elite sports development projects, sports tourism, institutional co operation and curricular development, training opportunities for physical education instructors etc. A memorandum of Understanding in this respect which is currently being discussed will also be concluded in early 2016 to renew the commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation on sports development”, a press release sent by the sports ministry read.

Sri Lankan Ambassador in France Thilak Ranaviraja with Alexi Gunasekera the Commercial Councilor had initial discussions with the Ministry of sports of France and related bodies in France enabling a robust partnership to be developed.

Balares SC beat Rantharu SC from Debagama in Kegalle 3-0 to bag the men’s crown while Vijaya SC, Koswadiya beat Golden Birds SC from Radawana 3-2 in an evenly contested women’s final.

Golden Birds SC Radawana secured the third place in the men’s category and Kapila SC of Siyambalagoda won third place in the women’s category

Organized by the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation and powered by Dialog Axiata, the tournament saw around 4000 teams participating in the preliminary rounds conducted over a period of six months. Teams from over 300 Grama Seva divisions including the North and East were elevated to the District level before reaching the national finals.

President Maithripala Sirisena declared open the new Indoor Volleyball court at a ceremony attended by a number of dignitaries including Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera, City Planning and Water Supply State Minister and Consultant Dr Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Parliamentarian Dilan Perera, Dialog Axiata Group Chief Executive Officer Hans Wijayasuriya and Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya.

Reports said that the necessary prior approval of the entire IC membership has not been obtained to hand over these files to a certain individual who is neither a member of the SLC Interim Committee nor its Sponsorship Committee. For that matter, the person who has taken away the three key sponsorship files is not even an employee of the SLC, but the brother of former Performance Digital Analyst of SLC.

The motive behind the removal of those files under the blessings of a top SLC official is anybody’s guess. Undoubtedly, the confidentiality clauses and disclosure agreements have now been made available to interested parties in an unhealthy manner.

The individual who had taken away those files is a person who frequently bids for open tenders called by the SLC. Having failed recently in his bid to secure the sponsorship rights for a digital recording contract, this person had sought the blessings of a top SLC official to gather confidential information in three separate files identified in the news reports as those pertaining to SLC agreements with MAS Holdings, Red Bull and Agile.

Neither the SLC nor the three sponsors have denied the controversial news reports although the e-Mail correspondence on the matter among top SLC officials has become public. Surprisingly, a top SLC official had said that there is nothing wrong in handing over those files to an outsider or a third party attending a sponsorship discussion as far as he or she is invited for such a meeting.

A former SLC Secretary and present Interim Committee member who had served in the late Minister Gamini Dissanayake era, had strongly objected to these moves. In his e-Mail to the senior most SLC officials, the veteran official had strongly opposed the release of these files to an outsider. “For one thing, it is irregular and he holds no status in the organisation and this would create precedence. I am unable to take responsibility for such release of files in the event something untoward should happen,” he hadtold fellow SLC Interim Committee members in an e-Mail.

“In my view I cannot take responsibility for the release of any files to outsiders unless Interim Committee and Sponsorship Committee approval is obtained for very good and substantiated reasons,” he adds. He had alleged that the person who had taken away the files is involved with a tender by one of the three sponsors, making matters worse.

Sidath, a gentleman cricketer

Many consider Chairman of the SLC Interim Committee Chairman Sidath Wettimuny a gentleman and a clean person. If such notorious acts are taking place at the SLC with or without Wettmuny’s knowledge, it would seriously affect the reputation of the former Sri Lanka opener.

Hence, he should keep a vigil eye on officials who try to make super fortunes out of raw deals. If some mischievous things had taken place even without Wettimuny’s blessings, Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera should order an immediate investigation as the Interim Committee is only answerable to the Sports Minister who had appointed them.

That is precisely why we have rejected interim committees time and again.

Instead, we advocate an elected Executive Committees to run affairs of all National Sports Associations (NSAs). When a NSA is run by an elected, Executive Committee, those officials are answerable to the member clubs, associations and affiliated bodies who had voted them. But it is not the same scenario when it comes to interim committees.

As I have stated before in these columns, Interim Committees should not become permanent administrations of NSAs. Of course, the Sports Ministerhas every right to dissolve even an elected Ex-Co if he finds something fishy. In such cases, the Sports Minister is empowered by the National Sports Act to dissolve a NSA and replace it with an interim administration.

But such interim committee should only be there for a short period.During such period, the Sports Minister could hold an impartialinvestigation to the conduct of the dissolved or suspended Ex-Co. If the allegations are not proved beyond reasonable doubt, the Sports Minister could either reinstate a suspended Ex-Co or call for fresh elections tothat NSA under the Sports Ministry patronage.

Whatever it may be, an interim committee should not be there for a longer period, undermining the rights and aspirations of that NSA’s member clubs, associations and affiliated bodies. No sooner the investigations are over, the Sports Ministry should take immediate action to restore democracy in that NSA.

Since the membership of a NSA has no right to question the conduct of an Interim Committee, those ‘appointed’ members could go astray, against the wishes of its member clubs, associations and affiliated bodies. Unless the Sports Minister closely monitors their conduct or investigate on whatever the allegations leveled against them, members of an Interim Committee could abuse power.

Apart from cricket, interim administrations that exist in certain other sports too should be replaced with elected Executive Committees. There is little or no room for an elected Ex-Co member to go astray as all his moves are carefully being monitored by the members of that NSA. But the same cannot be said about an interim committee member. That is precisely why we have always opposed longer existence of interim committees.

More ICs than elected

Unfortunately, the country’s cricket governing body has more often than not been managed by interim committees. Ever since Sri Lanka’s 1999 World Cup debacle, the SLC has been governed by interim committees than elected Executive Committees! This does not sound well for the game and its promotion.

Hence, it’s high time that Dayasiri calls for fresh elections to the SLC to end the innings of Wettimuny and his team. At a time President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are making every endeavour to practice good governance and restore five-star democracy, the country’s sports administration too should regain democratic rights.

We earnestly hope that the destiny of the country’s cricket administration would go to correct hands after a democratically elected Ex-Co takes over the control of the SLC. It is only under such administration that the aspirations of member cricket clubs and affiliated bodies would be fulfilled.

We are not lobbying for any individuals! Whoever who aspires to come to the top seat of the SLC should get the mandate of the member clubs and associations. Hence, the new SLC President and his team could have their own way although an interim committee couldn’t afford to do such. Let the democracy be restored at the SLC sooner than later so that the elected set of new cricket officials could put the administration on the right track.