Medical fitness tests must for school sports meets participants

The Education Ministry has instructed all schools to ensure that student athletes undergo medical fitness tests prior to taking part in strenuous sports activities during school inter-house sports meet this season, Director of the Education Ministry’s Sports and Physical Education Branch B.A. Abeyratne told Education Times.

Mr Abeyratne said that the months January, February and March 2013 saw four deaths of student athletes while taking part in school level long distance races.

Following these deaths, the Ministry made it compulsory for all schools to obtain a medical fitness screening from student athletes prior to taking part in strenuous sports activity.

A new circular was issued in this regard. This is apart from the Education Ministry circular in 2007 stating that all those taking part in marathons should undergo fitness tests. The fitness test which is free of charge should be done at the nearest State hospital.

18-year-old Hashini Kumari, a Grade 13 student from Rivisanda Central College, Aranayake, died last February while participating in a 5,000 metre race at her school sports meet.

In another incident on January 30 last year, 18- year- old R. D. Kaushalya, a student from Ananda National School, Chilaw, died while participating in a similar race.

February 2013 saw another death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl from Gnaneswara Maha Vidyalaya, Moratuwa. Anjali Isurika collapsed and died while practising for a zonal schools sports meet.

In March last year, a 17-year-old boy from Pannala, in Kurunegala, collapsed while taking part in a marathon. The boy died of cardiac arrest at Kuliyapitiya Hospital.Nadia Fazlulhaq