Wushu federation awaits clearance to focus on world events
The Wushu Federation of Sri Lanka (WFSL), focusing on the participation of several international events, will have to wait for the clearance of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The federation started practising for the world events such as World Junior Wushu Championship to be held in Morocco in August, World Kung Fu Championship in China scheduled to be held in November, World Thaijiquan Championship in China and the Asian Wushu Championship to be worked off in India in November.
The other important event that Sri Lanka planned to take part was the Wushu International Judges’ Training Course in Australia and Indonesia.
Wushu is a popular sport among the school children with the Sri Lanka Schools
Wushu Association making a big contribution for the sport. At last year’s World Kung Fu Championship held in China, youngter Pathum Poorna Vancuylanberg bagged two gold medals while Laxman Gunasekera won a bronze medal in the Men’s Sanda event in the under 48kg category in Russia in the World Wushu Championships.
The WFSL had high hopes of climbing up in the world rankings. China had been dominating the sport as it was originated in China and Iran had been a big challenge for them. Courtesy of the President of the National Olympic Council (NOC), Suresh Subramanium the national wushu team came under the wings of Nie Jianguo, the former national coach of China in preparation for the upcoming world events.
The international coach was to be in Sri Lanka training the athletes for six months but unfortunately he had to leave the country due to the spread of deadly virus that brought the entire world to a standstill.
The Chinese coach was really impressive with the junior athletes. He was confident that Sri Lanka would be able to win at least some medals in Taolu events. Before his departure, he gave the athletes a training schedule to be practiced at home with two national coaches monitoring the progress.
Manel Dharmakeerthie, the president of WFSL thanked the president of the NOC for helping them to get the services of an international coach and said the Chinese coach started from the basics and techniques. He expected them to practice at least six to eight hours daily. But he said that though the school children are talented they would be able to practice at least for about four hours a day.
“Coach Nie Jianguo helped our wushu players in improving their basics and changed the events of some of the players to suit their capabilities and improving their mind set,” he said.
The WFSL president is worried that most school players desert the game when they reach the O/L and A/L classes. In one way it is reasonable as the future prospects in sport are none, not as in privileged sports like cricket and rugby. This had been realised by the parents and the players.
As the Sanda event is banned in schools, Dharmakeerthie recently held discussions with Sports Minister Dallas Alahapperuma in lifting the ban. He said they are very good in Sanda and he is sure the minister will fulfill his request.
He went on to say that Sri Lanka had been winning medals at international events in martial arts such as karate, wushu, and tae-kwondo and requested the minister to provide them a permanent building of international class with all facilities to house martial arts.