Sri Lankans out to deliver a ‘mood-lifting’ Games for people back home

The athletes’ parade in the opening ceremony of a multi-nation event is a show of strength, style and culture, with contingents going classy, funky or plain shirtless crazy with their choice of clothing. The 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) was no different, except for Sri Lanka. Led by cricket captain Chamari Athapaththu and 2018 CWG silver medallist weightlifter Indika Dissanayake, the Sri Lankans graced the vibrant Alexander Stadium in unadorned training gear.

PREMIUM

The attire was modest. The same can’t be said about their smiles.

“It was a mixed day, with many emotions in the air,” Gobinath Sivarajah, an official with the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, said. “In these difficult times, our athletes can make our country proud. At least that’s what we believe.”

They also believe the smile they wore in Birmingham on the opening night, and the show they go on to produce here, will spread infectiously across the length and breadth of their island nation dealing with an unprecedented economic and political meltdown.

“We hope that this Commonwealth Games can be a mood lifter in Sri Lanka,” Niluka Karunaratne, the three-time Olympic shuttler said after winning his singles match on Wednesday as Sri Lanka eked out a 3-2 win against Australia in the mixed team group event. “Small win or big, we have to celebrate. We have to give that to our people, to Sri Lanka, to motivate them and to play for them too.”

Sri Lanka have sent 50 male and 60 female athletes—accompanied by 50 coaches, support staff and officials—to do precisely that in Birmingham. Back home, a nation that managed to bring down its President and took over the presidential palace is starting the long road of getting back up on its feet. A 22 million-strong population is battling a shortage of food, power, fuel, medicines and other essentials with its economy in tatters. Life in Sri Lanka in trudging along, minus its life.

Sports federations in the country are also largely out of money, and the 160-member Sri Lankan contingent’s trip to Birmingham is down to the charitable coming together of various entities to ensure their athletes do not miss out on the once-in-a-four-year cycle to participate in the CWG and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cause a semblance of distraction to people back home.

“Oh, it is a huge struggle. Trust me, it is a huge struggle,” Karunaratne said of the financial challenges they had to face to check in here. “But we are thankful for the government, sports ministry, National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Cricket who sponsored us to come into the Games.”

This is the 37-year-old Karunaratne’s sixth CWG appearance, which he says will be his last after he first competed in the 2002 Manchester edition as a teen. The Colombo-based shuttler never felt he would stand the risk of missing out on his swansong Games, “because my condition is not that bad. But the overall contingent got reduced by a bit, which hurt a little”.

The badminton contingent stayed put in Colombo to train in the days leading up to the CWG. Yet they wouldn’t be able to train daily, for their cars ran out of fuel for days.

“It was quite difficult (to train). Just to get the fuel on time, refill our tanks in order to go for training every day, it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t easy at all,” Karunaratne said.

Neither was it for gymnast Ruchira Fernando. He is seeking more stable pastures abroad for a better life and gymnastics infrastructure. "In our country, we haven't had any facilities for training in gymnastics. No facilities, political problems, things like that. I would like to apply for a scholarship to train somewhere else,” he said.

Karunaratne is among the more fortunate. He is based in Colombo and grew up in a badminton-loving and playing family. His younger brother, Chamika Karunaratne, though plays cricket now and was part of Sri Lanka’s limited-overs series against Australia at home last month.

“I live a comfortable life, have a comfortable background. So in terms of our personal lives, we are fortunate to have a good life. In general, though, life is not easy in Sri Lanka at the moment. Not by any means,” Karunaratne said, sweat dripping down his forehand and eyes watery.

“But hopefully, things will get better in a couple of months. They say good times are around the corner. You can’t trust the politicians, you know. Hopefully, the government will do a good job, and India will support us and the European Union. We are looking forward to a lot of support pouring in for the Sri Lankan people,” he added.

As if the hurdles weren’t enough already, Covid too managed to make its way into the Sri Lankan entourage, with a few of its athletes and coaching staff testing positive days before the Games began. Squash player Shamil Wakeel, who won his men’s singles Round of 64 on Friday and will face India’s Saurav Ghosal on Saturday, was one among them.

"I tested positive for Covid-19 a week ago and today was my first day back on court for 10 days,” he said.

Karunaratne said given the unusual path and backdrop to get here, the badminton team will take some time to dig into its best.

“But all of us, including me, are just happy to be here, actually,” he said.

Experience unrestricted digital access with HT Premium

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.