Thirty years of war in Island, years of grenades and land mines and roadside bombs, left thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers and their foes without limbs. Many of them regained a sense of ‘self’ after being introduced to adaptive sports, enjoying life outside the constraints of wheelchairs or prosthetic legs.
They ran across fields and jumped across pits back then for the nation and yet still with all the arduousness they still run and jump for their nation. These heroic souls of the para athletes were felicitated on the 24th Wednesday December 2014 at the Sports Ministry in the Honorable presence of the Minister of Sports Mr. Mahindanada Aluthagamage.
Minister of Sports expressing his ideas to the media stated the difference between the rest of the sports bodies and the Para-athletic sports body in Sri-Lanka. The majority of sports bodies in Sri Lanka have found themselves a definite sponsor for their respective teams and they possess the luxuries of training facilities for their sports men and women but the Pare-athletic sports body without a sponsor to date and without convenient training facilities for both sports men and women have won over five silver and bronze medals at the Paralympics Asian Games 2014 and that single fact is indeed worthy of an applause and for the community to bow their heads down to them gallant souls.
Even without a finalized definite sponsor prior to the tournament the Para-athletic sports body managed to choose and tour a squad of fifty six para athletes who participated in nine events which is ninety percent of the tournament when calculated with all the events within the tournament.
Seven athletes were felicitated and was awarded a cash prize for their achievements during the tournament.
Y.K.P Jayalath, Pradeep Snajaya, A.J.G.I Chuladasa, P.H.L.Dharamasiri, Amara Indumathi, Dinesh Deshapriya, Sumeda Alwis were the seven athletes who were felicitated and was awarded with cash prizes starting with a minimum of one hundred thousand depending on their achievements. These courageous souls accomplished their mission when they embellished their motherland with two gold medals and over five silver and bronze medals.
Minister of Sports Mr. Mahindananda Aluthgamage “We have para athletes who served their country during the thirty year war to the three forces respectively also we have para athletes who tried to divide the country and fought alongside terrorists. I believe the greatest achievement we as a nation can accomplish is to unite these two ends of para athletes and make them represent one nation under one national flag “
Great words, great phrases are spoken;the Minister`s words are appreciated, applauded and respected. Will the actions also be appreciated, applauded and respected?
With a glimpse of things to happen.
ThePapare.com also joins in hearty congratulations to the felicitated para athletes and wish them best of luck to embroider Sri Lanka with many more in 2016 at Para Olympics to be held at Rio-Di Jinero.
