Homeless Carrom Federation driven from pillar to post
Just a few more days left before the Carrom Federation of Sri Lanka ( CFSL) has to vacate its present premises housing its headquarters in Kohuwala, as the Lease agreement expires at the end of this month.
For the last so many years, the CFSL has made representations to the Ministry of Sports (MoS) to find them a permanent building for their headquarters, for the smooth conduct of tournaments. It is sad to note that a sport which has a World Champion, is on the verge of coming to a standstill.
The CFSL President speaking to the Sunday Times said that, for more than a decade, various CFSL officials had met the MoS and officials, requesting them to find a solution to this grave problem. Every MoS promised to find a permanent building for the CFSL, but the problem persists.
He says the mistake the MoS had made is that Carrom and Cricket are not categorised under the MoS. Sports disciplines categorised under the MoS are the Commonwealth Games, Olympics, SARRAC and Asian Games.
This is the reason the MoS puts forward, every time the CFSL make representations. But the CFSL President says the World Championship and the World Cup are above all. Sri Lanka has defeated Asian champions India in all departments at the World Cup. Carrom is played in 26 countries, including Europe.
According to the CFSL President, players are severely handicapped, as they have no place to practice. Carrom tournaments are held right through the year and hence, need regular competitions.
The headquarters were previously located in Maharagama, in a small building with no facilities, and the game went on, and was recognized all over the world.
The buildings at Maharagama and Kohuwala are without basic facilities, mainly video cameras and high quality Carrom boards of standard size. Sri Lanka will lose a golden opportunity of hosti ng t he Asian Car r om Championship, if they fail to find a suitable, well equipped building.
The CFSL President paid a glowing tribute to the present MoS Secretary, who is taking a keen interest to solve this longstanding problem.
When the Sunday Times contacted the MoS Secretary, he said the CFSL has been directed to find a suitable building, for which the MoS will pay the rent.