The Hon. Sugath Thilakaratne - Deputy Minister of Sports

¶ 01 [2.19 p.m.]

¶ 02 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Expenditure Head of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports during the 2025 Budget debate.

¶ 03 Today is a special day for Sri Lankan sports and for this House. To my knowledge, this is the first time an Olympian known to me has been invited to Parliament; I consider it a privilege in my life. From my beginnings at the school grounds of Notting Bridge Vidulipura Maha Vidyalaya in Nuwara Eliya, you will recall my national and international victories from 1993 to 2006.

¶ 04 I won five golds with three records at South Asian meets; three golds at Asian Championships with a still-standing record; three medals at the Asian Games; a Commonwealth Games bronze; a World Championships bronze; and I represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics in 1996 and 2000. I intend to use my victories, defeats, and experience as President of the Athletics Association for the development of sport.

¶ 05 Defeats taught the path to victory. Politically too, through hardships and tears, we have today achieved our aim of change. In 76 years, considering time and funds allocated to sport, there is doubt whether we produced a healthier nation; we must rethink.

¶ 06 The greatest sporting festival is the Olympics. Since 1948, Sri Lanka has sent only about 107 Olympians — a small number globally — and has won two Olympic medals: Duncan White (1948) and Susanthika Jayasinghe (2000), both silver. At the Commonwealth Games, we have 24 medals; at the Asian Games, about 51. In cricket, we have World Cup and T20 titles and runner-up finishes. Beyond a few events, we lack broader, consistent international success.

¶ 07 As a Ministry, we are ready to change this. We have discussed with all federations and reached consensus to resolve their issues and implement a joint programme. We must go beyond two Olympic medals — the National People’s Power Government has entrusted us with that responsibility. We will deploy Budget funds under proper management to achieve international success, including at the Olympics.

¶ 08 Hon. Namal Rajapaksa said the Ministry’s duty is not to distribute sports goods. Indeed, we do not. We will focus on sports development. I also recall that during his tenure as Minister, container boxes were used to build courts and placed all over. I do not know how many; today they are gone, and those funds seem wasted. We will look into it.

¶ 09 On high-performance schools: contrary to the claim that they are not maintained, we have already asked federations via the Department of Sports Development to submit athlete data. Only a few federations have responded. Based on received data, we will commence the squads this month. In 2021, about 70 athletes were included across four stages with payments. In 2024, 58 athletes were included, but without follow-up; only about ten met required performance thresholds. Selecting 100–200 athletes without the right criteria is useless. We will start now with proper monitoring, data systems, and support beyond stipends: residential training, continuous supervision, performance analysis, and addressing weaknesses.

¶ 10 Our focus is on the Asian, Commonwealth, Olympics, and World Championships — to bring honour to Sri Lanka. We have specific programmes, especially for javelin throw. Currently, Sumedha Ranasinghe and Romesh Taranga are ranked one and two nationally and among the best in South Asia. Given recent Olympic gold and silver in javelin for India and Pakistan, and South Asia’s strength, we believe we can target an Olympic medal in 2028 in javelin. We will take the event to villages, identify talent, and run a specialised programme.

¶ 11 We will operate three national pools: High Performance, National, and Junior. Last year, 273 athletes were in senior pools; in 2025 we aim for around 500, with the 2026 South Asian Games in August/September in view. We will provide food, clothing, and access to Ministry facilities. Under the “Kreeda Shakthi” programme, we will maintain a junior pool of about 900 athletes across 19 sports.

¶ 12 A major issue is doping. Even at school level, banned substance use is rising. Through the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency, we will intensify awareness for athletes, coaches, and teachers, and refer athletes mandatorily for testing. Currently, we use urine samples; internationally, blood testing is added. We will move to both matrices to protect the integrity of sport and athletes’ futures, and we will take firm decisions against doping.

¶ 13 On coaches: many lack up-to-date knowledge. We will conduct programmes to transfer foreign coaching knowledge to our coaches. School athletes display high talent but lose it by the national level due to overtraining and incorrect methods. We will address this through coach education and better load management.

¶ 14 On the hostel and athlete meals raised by Hon. Namal Rajapaksa: I myself stayed 13 years in that hostel. A week after taking office we inspected it, identified shortcomings, instructed the Sports Medicine Unit to revise the menu and provide proper nutrition, and to repair A/Cs and other facilities. We cannot visit constantly; those responsible must ensure standards.

¶ 15 Our aim is to bring honour and pride through victories, and, through participation, to build a healthy, disciplined, strong society with high morale. Thank you for the time.