COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is considering imposing a temporary ban on national athletes who refuse to represent the country at any given time.
A decision to appoint Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as captain of the national rugby team resulted Sri Lanka to ban sportsmen refusing to represent country
Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told Xinhua on Monday that amendments will be introduced to the local sports law to give room for sporting bodies to implement the ban.
“We are having issues mostly in cricket and rugby where national team players often refuse to represent the country when the national team has a scheduled tour and at times opt to play for some other event. So we are now looking at bringing in amendments to the sports law to allow sporting bodies to temporarily ban such players,” he said.
Recently some members of the national rugby team refused to take part in a tournament involving the national side after the team captain was replaced.
Some of the senior players were agitated over a decision to appoint Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as captain for the team at the Asian Five Nations Division tournament in the Philippines last April.
Speaking to the media at the time, new captain Yoshitha Rajapaksa said it was unacceptable that the national team players refused to represent the country.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga had refused to sign a contract with the Sri Lankan cricket board citing low payments.
The Sri Lankan cricket board named Malinga among the top players who will be offered contracts to represent the national team.
Malinga played at the recent Indian Premier League tournament following a lucrative deal but in future if selected to play for the national team he will be forced to forgo such a deal or be temporarily banned.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka and the cricket board was once the highest money making sporting body till it ran into financial difficulties recently resulting in even the players not receiving their payments on time.
THE TIMES OF INDIA
Kapila Kahapola, UAE / June 13, 2012
Not Sure Who Wrote this Write UP ??? Who Ever the Idiot is, No One Can Ban a Player Unless Otherwise He is Contracted !!!
In Cricket, This Whole Issue Came Up Recently When Malinga Refused to Sign the Central Contracts with BCSL !!!
In SL Rugby, Players were Never Contracted Until Very Recently & On Top of This There was a Feeling Always Kandy SC Players are been Marginalized & Always Players of Colombo Clubs Get Favors from Rugby Authorities !!! This Situation Took the Worst Tern When DIG Nimal Lewke Wanted His Son Dushantha to Captain the SL Team… As I Remember Even the Players of Colombo Clubs Protested Against this & They Chose Not to Make Themselves Available for SL Selection !!!
No Sports Minister Took Any Action so as the Authorities as They All Loved to Lick the Pukas !!!
Let Alone Yoshitha’s Chances of Captaining the SL Team, If All Good Players are Available for Selection Yoshitha R will Not be Able to Find Place in Playing First 15 & Perhaps at Best in 22 !!!
Philippine Started Playing Rugby Hardly Less Than 5 Years Ago & We have been Playing Rugby Close to 150 Years… Thanks to Yoshitha R, Asanga Senevirathne, Lasitha Gunarathne & Clan We Lost the Match a Month Ago !!!
SL Sports Minister is the Biggest Joker Hardly have Run 10-15 Meters Even When the Rain Falls !!!
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Donald J Gnanakone / June 14, 2012
Look who is complaining about the Rajapakses now!!!!
Getting a taste of Mahinda Chinthana ah?
The Minister of Sports want to bring this new law, and not any idiot. This is news!!! and not some opinion…
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Kapila Kahapola, UAE / June 14, 2012
Look Here My Freaking Friend Donald,
U are Too Slow to Understand Things Lately & Perhaps it Can be Due to Ur Old Age !!! Or Else U Must have Gone Mad After Loosing All Ur Day Dreams of Pee-laam in SL After Meeting Ur Waterloo in 2009(Rather Nandikadhal)!!!
I’m Not a Blind Rajapakse Loyalist & I’ve My Own Critics for MR & the Team for the Way Things are Handled Starting from 2009 for Almost 3 Years Now.
SL Sports Minister is an Idiot Which I Said Before, If U Do Not Understand this I Must Say Aluthgamage is Better Idiot Than U !!!
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Ben Hurling / June 13, 2012
Sons of Saddam Hussein used to toture athletes and football players who did not perform well for Republic of Iraq.
Saddam’s psychopat son Udey Hussein was the President of Iraq’s Olympic Committee and National Football Association.
Behaviour of the Rajapakse clan by calling national players traitors etc. is starting to look somewhat similar.
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suz / June 13, 2012
let us make a comment of charls antoney?
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Kingbutt / June 13, 2012
With a gut like that, how on earth can this Yoshitha (WTF?) can run 3 meters without Oxygen? Captain? for crying out loud.
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Davina / June 13, 2012
Yoshitha, you represent many young people in the island – but they have to work hard to make a life for themselves. Are you not embarressed son, that your family is so obviously looking after its own interests in such a brash, uncivilised way?
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gamini / June 13, 2012
No wonder another Sri Lankan Rugby player Thajudeen died in a freak car accident recently according to the Police investigations.
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TransJenn / May 12, 2013
omg u guys! whts wrong with president’s son being the captain of a rugby team?? Do all u haters know if he really is a good player or not?? CHILL OUT PLZ!
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