Ravi Nagahawatte, Island, 22 December 2010
Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage proposed to have an exclusive local television channel for sports when he met representatives of 16 sports bodies at a meeting to discuss Sri Lanka’s bid to host the 2016 Asian Games, yesterday in Colombo. Minister Aluthgamage’s proposal had been enthusiastically received by the representatives of different sports bodies who had gathered at the sports ministry auditorium on the request of the minister. A source said that the meeting had lasted for a long period and the minister had insisted that the respective sports bodies return to him with their ideas which will help boost Sri Lanka’s bid to host the next edition of the Games. Aluthgamage had said that each sports body should put their ideas to their own executive committees before sending such ideas to the minister to support the country’s bid.
Sri Lanka had one of their worst outings at this year’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, where the entire contingent failed to win at least a single medal.
NB: Aluthgamage is an old Royalist. More to the point he has earned a favourable reputition in his constituency of Nawalapitiya for getting things done. Let’s see how matters pan out in the near future in all fields of sports and especially in cricket. Michael R