The Hon. Eranga Gunasekara - Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, two Bills and several regulations are before us; I will comment on the Sports Act regulations.

¶ 02 First, a clarification: this morning Hon. Hesha Withanage raised an issue about the Embilipitiya Leadership Training Centre, claiming Ministers have taken no action. Since assuming responsibility, we have intervened and are reviewing the institution. The centre sits on 35 acres, but the land is owned by the National Housing Development Authority, not our Ministry. We have requested the land be vested in our Ministry. Adjacent is a Youth Corps Centre. We have allocated funds this year to further develop the Embilipitiya centre and to create a multi-purpose facility. We will not allow it to become a den. We aim to transform it into an adventure-based training centre. The Chairperson and officials there are working with dedication; the centre already generates revenue. Therefore, the Member’s information was inaccurate.

¶ 03 On the Sports Act regulations: the country’s and Government’s commitment to sport is well known. Sport has evolved since prehistory; the earliest recorded sport is javelin/ spear throwing—arising from hunting practice—and so on.