Trials to choose the competitors for the Junior South Asian Games 2016 which will be held on the 19th and the 20th October in Lucknow , India will be held alongside the Senior John Tarbet Athletic championship scheduled to take place from the 13th to 15th of September 2016 at the Diyagama Mahinda Rajapakse stadium.
Athletes who will be under 20 years of age on the 31st of December 2016 (Born on 1997 & 1998) will be eligible to participate in the trials conducted by the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) along with Sri Lanka School’s Athletic Association (SLSAA). Applications for the trials for students should be forwarded to the SLSAA while athletes who are not students should forward their entries to the AASL.
ThePapare.com contacted Mr. Sugath Thilakarathne Chairman of the AASL regarding the technical shortcomings prevailing at the islands’ only functioning stadium. The recently held National athletic meet and the defense services meet was conducted without required technology.
Commenting on the situation Mr. Thilakaratne mentioned that “Electronic time keeping system has been sent to the Moratuwa University to rectify the error and we are hoping that it will be ready in time for the meet, as for the wind gauge here is no problem and will be present during the championship” When asked whether there will be any complications that the qualifying athletes will have to face in case the required technology does not arrive in time he confirmed that “we will have to resort to the traditional method of hand timing in case the electronic time keeping system is not ready, we will be holding another fitness test for the qualifying athletes prior to the games in case the system is not ready in time for the Senior Tarbet ”
Earlier this year Sri Lanka fielded 9 athletes at the Olympics and had very less returns with only Chamara Dharmawardene the first Judoka to represent the Island at the Olympic through a wild card entry proceeding to the second round.
Amidst another disappointing campaign, focus has shifted to empowering and nurturing the potential young talent coming out from the island giving them the maximum possible exposure internationally so they can be competitive in the Asian level and eventually in the world stage.
Junior South Asian games which will be held in Lucknow, India will be an ideal platform for the young crop of athletes to compete at the international level and go against the best in the region.
