Chinthana Vidanage's message

IF not for a village lad living in humble obscurity in far away Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's presence at the recently held Commonwealth Games would have passed unnoticed.

Lankans big and small owe a big 'thank you' to Sri Lanka's hero at the Commonwealth Games, Chinthana Vidanage, who laboured courageously and resourcefully to win for himself and his country a coveted gold medal at the Games at a men's weight-lifting event.

Chinthana's signal triumph will be greatly appreciated by his countrymen who waited in vain for his more fancied compatriots, in more popular athletic events and sports, to do Lanka proud. But this was never to be.

Honour came finally to Sri Lanka from a most unexpected quarter and we hope Vidanage's outstanding feat would not go unnoticed by all who matter, including the country's sports administrators.

We take this opportunity to remind some who bask complacently in bureaucratic armchairs that they would not be "spoiling" a sportsman who has brought a signal honour to his country, by congratulating him and giving him a warm, morale-boosting pat on the back.

By what stretch of the imagination could such an encouraging gesture be considered as "spoiling" or misleading? Giving those who bring such honour a word of encouragement is the least these bureaucrats could do.

We call on these persons to revise their notions of what amounts to "spoiling" and indulging sportsmen because they simply are not correct, are way off the mark and could cost us dearly.

Instead, Ministry bureaucrats and sports administrators need to look at ways of reducing their own presence at international sports events on account of its obvious financial implications for the country.

While only those officials whose presence at sports events abroad is absolutely essential should accompany our sports teams, it is only in the fitness of things that sportsmen and women who perform exceptionally well are given a heroes' welcome when they return home.

Coming back to Chinthana Vidanage, it is pretty obvious that he needs all the encouragement and resources to develop further in his sport. It is now public knowledge that Vidanage engaged in his sport amid gruelling deprivations and poverty.

He needs to be given a better deal by the sports authorities, besides others who may be fighting mighty odds to emerge as sportsmen and women of repute and capability.

While there is a greater possibility of tapping rural talent in the more well known sports - cricket, rugby, swimming and soccer, for instance - on account of the greater degree of organisation that goes into them, the same is not happening in the less "newsy" areas of sports, such as weight-lifting and body-building.

All such areas may be brimming with talent but such national wealth may be passing unnoticed on account of the relatively low priority accorded to them.

Sports could indeed be an "uneven playing field". If one is playing the "correct" sport and is endowed with the right amount of resources, the chances are that one may emerge a "success".

Those lacking these attributes, on the other hand, may languish in obscurity despite having the sporting capabilities. Chinthana Vidanage's success establishes the need to end the unevenness in the playing field which is local sports.