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| Saturday, 7 August 2004 |
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Sports | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
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The Olympic Games by Tory Jayawardena Former Director of Sports, Chairman National Sports Council, Chairman Selection Committee Olympic Games. (Continued from yesterday) Roy Ewry (USA) has won more gold medals than any other competitor. He won 10 gold medals between 1900-1908. The only brothers to win gold medals for boxing are Leon and Michael Spinks (USA). The largest cycling race of the Olympic Games was in 1912 when the course covered 320 km (199 miles). Because of the strict guarantine laws in Australia, the equestrian events in the 1956 games had to be held in Stockholm, not Melbourne. The first goal in Olympic competition in Football was scored by Great Britain in their 4 - o defeat of France in 1900. The first perfect score of 10 at Gymnastics was awarded to Nadia Comaneci - Romania - in 1976. Roop Singh scored the highest number of goals in an Olympic hockey match. He got 12 of India's 24 goals against the United States in 1932. Winter Games Since 1924, a new series of Games, reserved for winter sports: Ski, skating, hockey, bobsleigh, sledge and biathlon, has been added to the Summer Olympics. They are held every four years. The next Olympic Winter Games will be held in Torino from 10th to 26th February, 2006. Modern Olympic Games comes to Asia ones again The first Olympic Games held in Asia was in 1964 in Tokyo - XVIII th Olympic Games. Once again in Asia, the XXIVth Games were held in Seoul in 1988. The Olympic Games will be back again in Asia when the Games are held in Beigin, China from the 8th to 24th August, 2008. Sri Lanka's participation at the Olympic Games Sri Lanka has participated in the Olympic Games since 1948 except the 1976 games held in Montreal, Canada. The number of participants were as follows: - Year No Year No 1948 7 1976 - 1952 6 1980 5 1956 3 1984 4 1960 5 1988 6 1964 6 1992 11 1968 3 1996 9 1972 4 2000 12 The Sports were Athletics, Boxing, Swimming, Cycling Rifle Shooting, Wrestling, Yachting and Weight Lifting. Sri Lanka's Achievements at the Olympics 1948 London XIVth Games 400 meter Hurdles On the 21st July in the Finals of the 400 metre Hurdles, Duncan White came 2nd to Roy Cochran of USA with a time of 51.8 secs which was better than he existing Olympic record Cochran being timed at 51.1 secs. Larsen of Sweden was 3rd what a wonderful achievement. As the President of the Sri Lanka Olympic Association had stated "White has done for Ceylon in 51.8 secs more than all the propaganda of over 100 years." 2000 - Sydney - XXVII Olympic Games We had to wait for over 50 years for our Susanthika Jayasinghe to give us our second medal and the first by a women. She ran in the 200 meters and was placed 3rd with a time of 22.28 secs. Marion Jones - USA - ran first with a time of 21.84 secs. 2nd was timed at 22.27 secs. 2004 - XXVIIIth Olympic Games As stated earlier, the games will be held in Athens from the 13th to 29th August 2004 Sri Lanka will be represented by:- Susanthika Jayasinghe - W 100, *200 metres Damayanthi Darsha - W 400 metres Rohan Pradeep Kumar - M *400 metres Anuradha Cooray - M Marathon Manjula Wiejsekera - M High Jump Conrad Francis - M Swimming Meneka de Silva - W Swimming P. I. Ramanayake - W Wifle Shooting Can Sri Lanka win any medals Let us face reality - the fact that the standard of all Olympic sports has improved beyond normal expectations. Marion Jones of the USA, who won gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters at the 2000 olympics, failed to qualify in both events. All of us wish the very best to all our Sri Lanka Representatives. May you bring us glory. |
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