Four Sri Lanka pugilists take wings to Kazakhstan
Banned substances in sports – should the blame be shared?
New legislation has slapped harsher punishments on athletes found guilty of using banned substances, in an attempt to steer them away from such practices. However, should all the blame be shoveled on sportsmen and women who transgress or should backstage officials such as coaches, trainers and doctors, share just as much of it, if not more`?
The athlete should be responsible. It’s his or her mistake. You have a responsibility for what you take whether it is nutrition or medicine. Most of the time it is the athletes who take these medicines. Sometimes though when WADA changes the list, doctors from far off areas are not aware of all the drugs on it and they can’t suitably inform athletes.
Four pugilists from Sri Lanka left the island on Friday to participate in the AIBA World Boxing Championships scheduled to be from October 14 to 27 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The AIBA World Boxing Championship according to the latest statistics over 575 boxers excluding the reserves representing 116 countries are expected to participate with India boxers billed to participate under the AIBA flag.
The championship organized by the AIBA will be held under the new AIBA technical rules and AIBA Open Boxing Competition Rules where the participants will not be wearing the headgear.
The four members’ team comprises of two boxers from Slimline BC and one each from Causalline and Navy. P.D. Suresh of Slimline a former bronze medalist at the Commonwealth Games 2010 is the most experience of the four boxers who will contest in the Under 52kgs.
Gayan Jayaweera the other boxer from Slimline BC is slotted to contest in the Under 56kg. For Sisira Kumarasinghe of Navy and Roshan Madusanka of Casualline it will be their first international exposure. Sisira will contest in the Under 60k while Roshan in the 75kg.
Amila Aravinda will be the coach
A dump yard
A leading stadium in Colombo has no track at the moment as it is being repaired. The contractor who has been asked to repair the track says that ground itself is not suited for a stadium of this nature. His argument is that before the spot was turned into a stadium it was a place to dump garbage and with the garbage a whole lot of methane, a harmful chemical too has also been unloaded into the grounds, in order to destroy the garbage. As a result of this the grass is not growing properly at the stadium and the track too cannot be maintained. Several other places where garbage was dumped have been ear-marked for future stadiums. Will the same fate await these stadiums too?
Mother and daughter
The scene shifts to a popular sport with ladies. The daughter of a well known former while former ABA President Dian Gomes will accompany the team as the manager.
Apart from the championship will the pugilists and coaches selected by the AIBA from underprivileged and developing boxing countries an opportunity to attend an intensive two week training camp organized the AIBA.
The IBA will be providing each selected participants with airline tickets, accommodation and transport. Malith Prabashwara of Slimline BC has been selected by the AIBA for this year’s training camp and he will be accompanied by Wasantha Kumara as the coach.
The provincial list of participating countries this year: player was in the national pool to make a foreign trip. Now it has been brought to light that girl has been removed from the ‘pool’ for unknown reasons. Insiders say that the mother of this girl was expected to be the next president of this sport and when that manoeuvre misfired the girl too was removed from the ‘pool’. All this had been manipulated so that the mother and daughter could be in that foreign outing.
The cycling blunder
A twelve day cycling trip has been planned to celebrate the Birthday of a very Big Man. At first the cash prize was a staggering Rs. Two Million. Now it has been brought down to Rs. One Million. Recently a press conference too was held to break the news. It turned out to be a big ‘tamasha’ rather than a press conference. What is more the religious observances which should have taken pride of place was held at the end. By that time the press too has gone away and the priest conducted the service to an almost empty hall.
Podi Sir’s Big Work
It has now surfaced that a certain official has been charging $ 50 a day, which he is not entitled for seeing that outstation venue were in order for a recent Kiwi tour. It has al-
Africa (22) – Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, DR of Congo, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Morocco, Mali, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Americas (25) – Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, USA and Venezuela.
Asia (26) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, so been noted that this official was not present at a venue in Dambulla but had claimed the $50. This official is in the supervising committee of the sport and is now planning to leave it. He is popularly known as ‘Podi Sir.” Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Palestine, DPR Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and AIBA.
Europe (39) – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovenia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
Oceania (4) – American Samoa, Australia, Nauru and New Zealand
Rotherham Circuit Meet at Air Force Base, Katukurunda
Sappers 4x4 Gimpo at Tunkama, Embilipitiya
7th President’s Trophy Mercantile Championship at Thurstan College Complex
3rd National Open Water Championship at Ambalangoda