No Foreign Coaches Next Yearministry of Sports
The Ministry of Sports and the Department of Sports Development has decided to halt the recruitment of foreign coaches for next year as the expected results were not achieved at the recently concluded SAG in Nepal.
The best example was that of the volleyball men’s and women’s coaches hired from Cuba targeting the SAG and 2019 international volleyball competitions. At the Kathmandu SAG Sri Lanka was able to win only Bronze Medals. In 2016 SAG, Sri Lanka won Silver Medals in the men’s and women’s volleyball events.
The Ministry of Sports is expecting to recruit at least 20 coaches next year and give them international technical exposure by sending the coaches overseas or by getting down consultant coaches.
The Sports Ministry is to request Rs. 50 Million from the Treasury for these coaching programmes targeting the 2021 South Asian Games pool training, expected to commence from next month.
The next South Asian Games will be held in Pakistan or in Sri Lanka. This has not been decided as yet.
Sri Lanka is targeting to win at least 80 to 100 Gold Medals.
The Ministry of Sports is expecting to recruit at least 20 coaches next year and give them international technical exposure by sending the coaches overseas or by getting down consultant coaches
At the Kathmandu SAG Sri Lanka won 40 Gold Medals and were placed third overall.
The task expected of the Chef De Mission of the National Olympic Committee and the respective team managers was not fulfilled. Therefore from next year, for every international event, the appointment of the team managers or the assistant managers will be done by the Ministry of Sports.
An advanced team of the National Olympic Committee was sent to Nepal to overlook and attend to technical concerns affecting the athletes, which team comprised of the Director of Sports, Department of Sports Development.
The Ministry feels that there is a lapse on part of the Director of Sports, Department of Sports Development in attending to his assigned duties and therefore reasons would be sought on such lapse in due course.
These matters were disclosed at a press conference chaired by Ruwanchandra De Silva, Secretary, Ministry of Sports and Dhammika Muthugala,
Director General,
Department of Sports Development.