Coaching fraternity alleges the move demoralising
Leading schools athletics coach of St. Joseph’s Balika, Kegalle, A. D. Nandawathie (Nanda) has been cold-shouldered by the authorities when selecting team officials for the forthcoming IAAF World Youth Championship to be held in the Ukraine. This is despite Nandawathie being the coach of one of the three school girls who have qualified for the event.
A selection committee, under the supervision of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka has picked an official (a lady) from the Ministry of Sports to accompany the team as Lady Chaperone, instead of Nanda. It is customary to appoint a Lady Chaperone from the Teachers in Charge or coaches attached to the Education Ministry when school girls are members of a team and the tendency has been to opt for a lady coach of one of the girls who have qualified for the international event.
Of the 10 athletes who have qualified to date, three are girls. While the coaches of the other two girls are males, Nanda is the only lady coach, after having trained young Kumari Ratnayake to achieve qualifying standards in May.
Ratnayake achieved qualifying standards at the recently held Junior National Athletics Championships.
According to sources, the Sports Ministry too has given the green light to at least one other official, who has no connection with the selected athletes, to join the tour party, as an observer.
Sources said that the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka is heavily dependent on Sports Ministry funds for the tour and had not objected to the nominee by the Sports Ministry accompanying the team.
Incidentally, the coach from Kegalle has proved her credentials as a successful coach, on more than one occasion. She is also the coach of the Commonwealth Youth Games and Asian Junior Championship medalist Shivanthi Ratnayake and has trained many young girls of St. Joseph’s Balika to achieve qualifying standards to represent the country at many international events, for a number of years.
Despite coaching young Shivanthi to win the country’s only athletics medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Nanda’s work has hardly been recognised. While some medal winners at the recently held Junior Asian Athletics Championship, including Shivanthi, got monetary aid to obtain housing facilities, the efforts of their coaches have been largely ignored.
Several school coaches expressed their disappointment over the omission of Nanda. A veteran coach said that exposure at international events for coaches of the caliber of Nanada is vital for them. He pointed out that investing on an active coach like Nanda will be beneficial to the country’s athletes. “Exposure at international level and the opportunity to take part in an overseas event is the only benefit a school coach gets for his or her hard work. Denying them that and providing that opportunity to some ‘outsiders’ is demoralising,” he said.
