The Hon. Sugath Thilakaratne - Deputy Minister of Sports

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, although it comes from the Opposition, I accept the Motion by Hon. Hesha Withanage as very timely and important. Do not throw this into the dustbin. We must take what is good. We believe this proposal is truly beneficial for the advancement of sport in our country.

¶ 02 Those engaged in sport devote their lives to it. From a young age — 12 or 13 — they make many sacrifices. Even in school, top athletes find it hard to prioritize academics because most of their time is devoted to sport. At national and international levels, they essentially have no private life; their youth is sacrificed for sport. Therefore, accessing higher education and degree opportunities for athletes who have represented at Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, or the Olympics is very timely.

¶ 03 At present, the Universities of Jaffna, Kelaniya, Sri Jayewardenepura and Sabaragamuwa offer degree programmes in Sports Science and Sports Management. Typically, admissions rely on the Z-score. Some limited intakes — around five per year — are admitted outside the Z-score. I believe this number is insufficient and should be increased to give more athletes opportunities to pursue degrees.

¶ 04 As the Hon. Member noted, around 3,000 coaches were recruited previously, but there were procedural issues. We are discussing with the Hon. Minister of Education how best to ensure appropriate placements for coaches in schools. Our country needs many more coaches, and we must equip them with the necessary knowledge.

¶ 05 Sport also offers strong economic futures. By enabling degrees, we can address shortages of qualified coaches and sports administrators, and strengthen governance within associations. If we increase university opportunities for national-level athletes, we can make meaningful improvements.

¶ 06 Another point: our university athletes faced difficulties when attempting to participate in the World University Games in Germany last year. We are now working with the Ministry of Higher Education to ensure seamless participation. A related issue is that the University Sports Association currently functions as an independent body; if we can bring it under the UGC with legal authority, university athletes will gain better pathways. Worldwide, many university students compete at Olympic and world stages. We support the Hon. Member’s proposal to ensure national-level athletes gain university education opportunities.

¶ 07 Thank you.