Susantha deserves to be in the Asian Games team

by Reemus Fernando

Asian Athletics Championship gold medallist Tharushi Karunaratne is among top medal contenders when Sri Lanka’s track and field team vies to end a long medal drought at the Asian Games which will be held at the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 23rd to October 8.

Sri Lanka has not won a medal in track and field sports since the men’s 4×400 metres relay quartet of Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Rohitha Pushpakumara, Prasanna Amarasekara and Ashoka Jayasundara and sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe won medals in Qatar Asian Games in 2006.

That medal drought could end with the men’s 4×400 metres, women’s 4×400 metres teams and the likes of Tharushi Karunaratne peaking at the right time. Sprinter Yupun Abeykoon too has produced outstanding performances indicating bright prospects at the quadrennial Games.

The Ratnayake Central, Walala runner Karunaratne is the top medal contender in the women’s category for Sri Lanka at the regional Olympics. But the top contender will not have her coach with her as Susantha Fernando’s name had not been included in the list of officials for the multi sports event.

Over the years the country’s Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry which finalise teams for Multi Sports events like the Asian Games have drawn flack for including big number of officials to accompany teams on public funds.

It is important that Fernando, who has toiled hard for decades to produce athletes in the calibre of Karunaratne to the national level be included in the team for Asian Games as it is them who make the country’s flag fly high at these games. Karunaratne has the potential to reach qualifying standards for next year’s Olympics as well as she has already touched speeds reserved for elite middle distance runners. Karunaratne’s record breaking performance of 2:00.66 seconds at the recently held Asian Championships deserves special recognition.

When contacted on this regard Sri Lanka Athletics officials said that the sports governing body was ready to make amends if the National Olympic Committee does not have any objections regarding his inclusion.

“The ‘long list’ for the Asian team and the list of officials were finalized in January when we had already included Susantha Fernando for the Asian Junior Athletics Championships. Since he was included in the Junior Asian Championship team we gave priority to others. After Tharushi won (at the Asian Championships) it is a new scenario now. We are willing to include him in the team if Olympic Committee is okay with that,” Saman Kumara the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics said.

Our efforts to contact the General Secretary of the Olympic Committee Maxwell De Silva on this regard found futile yesterday.