One of the major rugby promoters in recent times is former Royal College, CR & FC,Colombo Clubs and Sri Lanka rugby player Malik Devapriya Samarawickrama. His contribution for Kandy Sports Club should be weighed in gold. This would remind players of their responsibility for ensuring that rugby is always played in a truly sportsman like manner by the players of this club, due to his backing. Every one in Kandy is delighted that after Malik put his hand up for this club it has gone from strength to strength

This club was founded in 1874 as Kandy Athletic, Boating, Cricket, Football and Dancing Club and after 14 years the name was changed to Kandy SC, now the most successful rugby team, after playing the first league competition in 1950 it was in 1992 they won the first trophy. It all happened after Malik Samarawickrema’s arrival in Kandy to take the club to a new level like never before.

His vision was instrumental in bringing top class rugby to Kandy SC that became a reality. For all this Malik was the key figure behind everything as Kandy SC won the Clifford Cup for the first time in 1992 and the League for the first time in 1994. It was through his personable, persuasive and tenacious approach that made this club do what it had done and Malik deserves to be called the Mr. Rugby of Kandy SC.

After leaving Royal College where he learnt the rudiments of the game he excelled in the inter-club rugby as a famed scrum half. He went on to play for CR and FC, Colombo Clubs and Sri Lanka.

His playing days at Royal College was from 1966 to 1968, his team mates were Jagath Fernando, Haren Malwatte, Javid Yusuf, Maiya Gunasekera, Fred Pereira, Brian Lieversz, CR de Silva, Jeremy Perera, R. Thurairatnam, Bryan Baptist and Shahul. Mohamed. At CR he had teammates like Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Ronnie Schokman, Jagath Fernando, Hadji Omar Shiraz Fernando Reggie Bartholomeusz and Kamal Ratnapala.. During his playing days he was a nippy and daring scrum half who gathered the ball from the base and slung out intelligent and well directed passes to his fly half who always was well positioned to get the line moving that resulted in an avalanche of tries for school and club. He also served as treasurer vice president, president of Sri Lanka Rugby and also as the Sri Lanka team manager

Today in Kandy at club level, only rugby is the sport which is doing well, with some of the Kandy and Colombo school products.. Rugby players of Kandy have been acknowledged as some of the most skillful to play the game, lighting up SriLanka rugby for many years.

Kandy SC is a club with a long and proud history and that history may have counted for very little if not for Malik and his brains. It took 42 years for this Nittawela club to win a trophy and become almost an invincible force in the rugby field there by destroying the dominance of the Colombo based clubs. That was after Malik’s arrival and even the schools were encouraged and raised their standards in Kandy. Malik is also a strict disciplinarian who has seen the club win the League 21 times and the Clifford Cup knock outs also 21 times,including a consecutive period of ten years between 1995 and 2005 (the competition was not held in 1998) and six consecutive years between 2007 and 2012.

He initiated successful contracts with players, and gave employment and arranged sponsors. So successful was he, that players showed a keen interest in turning out for Kandy SC. Malik was the founder of the Singer/Sri Lankan Airlines International Sevens. He supported and helped the organizers to conduct this tournament for 10 years from 1999 to 2008 gaining IRB status in 2004.

This international Sevens tournament, which was introduced to celebrate 125 years of Kandy Sports Club in 1999, was one of the most successful international tournaments to be organized in Sri Lanka. Again in 2004 the club conducted the Rugby World Cup Qualifier for the Asian region.

On successfully conducting this event, the IRB offered the event the first “Asian Region Rugby Seven’s Satellite Series” in 2005 and even provided IRB funds to conduct this tournament. Unfortunately this tournament was hijacked by the Rugby Union and taken to Colombo and Malik will say that while it is easy to reach the top, it is more difficult to stay on top! Kandy SC has stayed at the top for more than two decades. The new look he gave the Nittawela ground is amazing. He brought it to international standard by adding tiers behind the two goal posts and also built a modern pavilion.

When the history of rugby is recorded at Nittawela, the name of Malik Samarawickrama will stand out as the greatest person,who gave of his best to this club to win matches and trophies.

Liverpool, Friday: Liverpool ended a 30-year wait for the English title as they were crowned Premier League champions on Thursday, triggering jubilant scenes as fans ignored social-distancing to celebrate uproariously.

Jurgen Klopp’s men sealed a 19th league title with a record seven games remaining after Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat of second-placed Manchester City left the 2018 and 2019 champions an unbridgeable 23 points adrift.

Liverpool’s first English title since 1990 -- further delayed by the coronavirus shutdown -- earns them their maiden trophy in the Premier League, which was introduced in 1992 and has been won 13 times by their arch-rivals Manchester United.

Klopp was in tears after Liverpool’s long-awaited win, which follows their Champions League and Club World Cup victories last year, when they finished just a point behind City in the Premier League.

“It’s such a big moment, I am completely overwhelmed,” an emotional Klopp told Sky Sports. “Tonight it is for you out there.

“It’s incredible. I hope you stay at home, or go in front of your house if you want, but not more. We do it together in this moment and it is a joy to do it for you.”

However, thousands of fans, many in face masks, converged on Anfield, lighting flares, chanting and celebrating with a replica trophy, while motorists drove up and beeped their horns.

Congratulations poured in from around the world with basketball star LeBron James, actor Samuel L. Jackson and former world number one tennis player Caroline Wozniacki among those paying tribute.

‘I’m hoping there is more’

Liverpool, who were tantalisingly close to glory when the coronavirus forced the suspension of English football in March, demolished Crystal Palace 4-0 at their home ground of Anfield on Wednesday to stand on the brink of the title.

City needed to win at Stamford Bridge to keep the Premier League alive but slipped to a 2-1 defeat.

Liverpool’s 19th English title, which puts them one behind United’s record haul of 20, owes much to the transformational impact of Klopp.

“We followed him and believed him,” said captain Jordan Henderson. “It’s been an amazing journey.

“I’m hoping there is more. We just keep hungry, keep wanting more and following him.”

Liverpool have clinched the title earlier than any other Premier League champions, breaking the previous record of five games left shared by City and Manchester United.

But it has been an agonising wait for Liverpool fans across the world, with the coronavirus lockdown forcing them to put the champagne on ice.

Videos on social media showed many of Liverpool’s players watching the Chelsea match together at a hotel.

“We won’t tell you the exact location but we are all in a hotel together as a team,” Liverpool star Andrew Robertson told the BBC.

“We thought something hopefully special was going to happen and that’s how it turned out.”

Ferguson era

Liverpool spent years in the shadow of arch-rivals Manchester United during the Alex Ferguson era before beinwg left behind by the massive spending of Manchester City and Chelsea.

They infamously squandered a golden opportunity to win the title in 2014 under manager Brendan Rodgers, when Reds captain Steven Gerrard made a costly slip in a late-season defeat against Chelsea.

But Klopp’s team are deserved champions after an incredible campaign that could end in record-breaking style. Liverpool are on course to beat Manchester City’s record points total of 100 set in 2017/18.

Klopp, the first German manager to win the Premier League, has been the architect of Liverpool’s renaissance since the former Borussia Dortmund boss arrived in 2015.

Infusing his players with a belief in his “heavy metal” football and high-tempo “gegen-pressing” game-plan, the charismatic Klopp has earned his place alongside Liverpool’s iconic former managers Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish.

“He epitomises everything that Liverpool Football Club stands for. He appreciates it, he respects everyone who works at he club,” Dalglish, architect of Liverpool’s 1990 title, said of the German.

Klopp led the club to the Champions League last season, but Liverpool were pipped to the Premier League title by City despite finishing with a record 97 points for top-flight runners-up.

But with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino forming a formidable front three, Henderson a tireless presence in midfield and Virgil van Dijk imperious at the back, Liverpool have left City trailing in their wake this term.

“That is the reality, that we are so far behind,” said City boss Pep Guardiola. “Liverpool were fantastic in consistency throughout the whole season.” - AFP

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to include 20 premier umpires to their contract list for the first time in a major boost to raise the standard and to uplift the wellbeing of cricket umpires in the country.

SLC would provide a fixed monthly payment for these 20 umpires who would be divide into three categories, namely International, Emerging, and Level-1.

All other Test playing nations have provided contracts for their umpires but this is the first time in the history that umpires in Sri Lanka are provided with contracts.

This was revealed by the Chairman of the Umpires Committee, Deepal Madurapperuma who had initiated this move along with Sri Lanka’s ICC Elite Umpire Kumar Dharmasena.

In fact, Dharmasenahas been the key player in this move and has acted as the advisor for the Umpires Committee on a voluntary basis.

“We have four umpires for International matches and six umpires in the Emerging category and 10 umpires in the Level-1 category,” Madurapperuma told the Daily News yesterday.

“I am glad that the SLC under the Chairmanship of Shammi Silva has provided their consent for this move and very soon we hope to finalise the matter,” added Madurapperuma.

“Lyndon Hannibal, Ravindra Wimalasiri, Prageeth Rambukwella, and Ruchira Palliyaguruge are the four international umpires.”

“We also have six emerging umpires but we have not yet announced the names. The third category is Level-1 with a total of 10 umpires,” he elaborated. “The benefit the umpires would have from this contract is that they will receive a monthly payment from the SLC. This is of course in addition to the usual match fees.”

“All other Test playing nations have provided contracts to their panel one umpires except in Sri Lanka. This is the first time that we are going to provide contracts for the umpires,” stressed Madurapperuma.

“Everything has been sorted out with the SLC and the only thing is that we have to get the approval from the Management Committee and the Executive Committee.”

“Next week we are having a Management Committee Meeting and after that, it will be forwarded to the Executive Committee. As soon as we get the approval we are going ahead with the contracts,” added Madurapperuma.

Wellington, Friday: Football lovers in Australia and New Zealand offered rare praise for FIFA's transparency Friday after the southern hemisphere neighbours won hosting rights for the 2023 women's World Cup.

The decision, announced by Switzerland-based FIFA in what was the early hours of the morning in Australia and New Zealand, sparked emotional reactions among sleep-deprived players and fans.

"I will never forget this moment," New Zealand captain Ali Riley tweeted alongside a close-up selfie showing tears in her eyes.

Australia's women's captain Sam Kerr posted footage of her trademark tumbling backflip goal celebration, saying playing in a home tournament was "a dream come true".

"We have seen great progress in the women's game and Australia-New Zealand will take the game to a whole new level," she said.

Socceroos great Tim Cahill said he was "lost for words", while Hollywood star Russell Crowe -- who has links to both Australia and New Zealand -- tweeted "Let's do this".

"I haven't slept, I'll have to do that another night, it's worth it though," New Zealand Football chief executive Andy Pragnell told AFP between what he called "well-timed coffees". New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised the ninth edition of the tournament would be the best ever.

"It will be a historic tournament of firsts that will create a profound and enduring legacy for women's football in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond," she said in a statement.

The 2023 tournament will be the first co-hosted by cooperating nations, the first in the southern hemisphere and the first with 32 teams.

The bid's success completes a trifecta for New Zealand, which has already secured rights to host the women's cricket and rugby world cups next year.

It also helps ease painful memories in Australia of the failed bid for the 2022 men's World Cup, when the Australians lost out to Qatar after a process that triggered allegations of corruption.

Recalling that decision, made in 2010, football commentator Craig Foster offered commiserations to Colombia, which ended up being the joint bid's only rival for 2023 after a string of other countries dropped out.

"We know full well how it feels to lose," Foster said.

"The tournament is an important and timely boost for Australia and NZ soccer and enhances the truly global nature of football."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison hailed a "landmark decision" for sport in the region.

"For the first time in history, Australians and New Zealanders will be able to experience a global football tournament, right here on home soil. How good!" he tweeted.

The Sydney Morning Herald said the result was "a triumph of merit over politics".

"That the majority of FIFA's council members from all corners of the globe voted on the grounds of merit is a major boost to the organisation's damaged reputation," it said. "After allegations of collusion and corruption, (FIFA president Gianni) Infantino embarked on the most transparent process seen with the voting of a major tournament."

Pragnell also praised the transparency of the bid process, saying it showed FIFA was moving in the right direction. "This should be seen as a huge success for the reforms that have been made at FIFA and the global football community should be encouraged by the outcome," he said. - AFP

The annual general meeting of the Central Province Rugby Football Union will take place this morning at 10.00 a.m. at the Kandy Club hall. The Central Province Rugby Football Union (CPRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in Central Province. This Union was established in 1992 and is conducted in accordance with the SLRFU guidelines and constitution.

The founder clubs are Kandy SC, Dambulla A & CC, Dickoya Maskeliya CC, and Peradeniya University, later OTSC and Kandy Youth, all of whom have at one time or another competed in the Sri Lanka Rugby ‘A’ Division competition. The CPRFU also embarked in forming ‘B’ division clubs, which included Katugastota Rugby Football Club, Polgolla Rugby Football Club, Mawilmada Rugby Football Club, Matale Rugby Football Club, Nuwara Eliya Rugby Football Club and Pilimatalawa Rugby Football Club and by 2008 had 18 clubs playing in the up-country rugby league.

There are 52 schools in the Central Province engaged in rugby apart from the Schools Association schools teams, Trinity, Kingswood, St. Anthony’s, Dharmaraja, St. Sylvester’s, Sri Rahula, Sri Sumangala and Vidyartha. Rugby is a popular and growing team sport played in Kandy, one a division club and eight schools. The game enjoys widespread popularity.

After a two-month hiatus due to COVID-19 with the players’ calls echoing around empty grounds, a restart was marked by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) for the first time in history, is hosting a pilot tournament today and tommorrow.

The tournament’s target is to bring back ‘playing active tennis’ back to the community, an official from SLTA said.

Moreover, the SLTA has not been given the go-ahead from the Sports Ministry, but is merely taking a head start in the process to educate their coaches, players, parents, administration, and officials; with a feel of the ‘new normal’, while being mindful of the situation concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament will begin at 8.30 a.m. today, at the SLTA courts.

The SLTA plans to return with 25 personnel at the venue resuming play, the capacity to limit crowd. Furthermore, they have also prepared a strict list of health guidelines referring to international and local health and safety regulations, so that all participating parties will have a clear understanding of their responsibilities at the premises.

Tokyo, Friday: Japan’s badminton king Kento Momota said Friday he had completely recovered from the eye injury caused by a car accident and vowed to bring home Gold at the postponed Tokyo Games.

“I can see without any problem while I’m playing,” the world number one, who underwent surgery for an eye socket fracture in February after the car crash, told reporters.

“I’ve been able to give 100 percent in practice,” he added.

The accident, which happened hours after the 25-year-old won the Malaysia Masters, killed the driver of the vehicle taking him to Kuala Lumpur airport.

“I want to do my best every day towards the goal” of winning the Gold Medal at the Tokyo Olympics, he said.

The coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by one year -- unprecedented in peace-time.

The Games are now scheduled to begin on July 23, 2021 -- though they will still be known as the 2020 Games -- but medical experts have raised concerns the delay is not long enough to contain the virus and hold the event safely.

Momota, who missed the 2016 Rio Olympics after he was suspended for visiting an illegal casino, admitted he was “upset” by the postponement.

“I only had six months after the surgery. I had no time to relax. I was trying to give my all every day (in training),” he said.

“So it was difficult to process the feeling that I still had to do more.”

Nevertheless, Momota said he has been training hard to stay positive and focus on victory at the Games.

The car accident and the postponement of the Games “could not be helped,” he said.

“I don’t want to make excuses, saying I cannot do well because this or that happened.”

Coronavirus did affect his training but he said he took the time to analyse his game and work on some weak points.

“I think I can improve my technique. I want to brush up my attacking skills.”

- AFP 

The reconstruction work of the Kandy Bogambara Stadium was at a standstill due to the Covid – 19 epidemic and the construction work started from last week However, the Athletes are not in a position to do the day to day practices. There are about 800 Athletes practicing at the Bogambara Grounds and when some Parents of the Athletes met this correspondent they complained that the children have stopped practicing due to this and when I inquired about this from the Officer-in-charge who was appointed by the authorities of the Sugathadasa Stadium, he was unable to tell when the work will be over.

After this the correspondent inquired from the Director of the Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombohe who said that it is hard to give a time limit but the playing area is almost finished and they will allow the Athletes to carry on with their practices in due course. But as the proposal is to construct a Synthetic track he can not tell the exact time as they have to wait for the Government to finance the Project and that it will take more than three months due to the recent Covid – 19 epidemic. He told the correspondent that the authorities concerned are very keen to finish the work and as this is on a contract basis they have to supply them the necessary funds and that he can release the playing area for the Athletes for practices in a few days time.

A great sportsman of the past, D.M.Dharmathilake is an old boy of Dharmaraja College,Kandy and he has excelled in the Academic Field as well as Sports, i.e. Cricket, Football and Hockey. In Cricket he was

coached by R.P. de Alwis and he played with Senior players like P.B.Munasinghe and S.J.Munasinghe in the early 1950s. In Soccer, he played under M.T.A.Ossen as right-half and later on Dharmathilake led the School Hockey team to be Champions in the Kandy District Tournaments. Besides Sports he was in the College Cadet Platoon and was a Prefect of the School. He qualified to enter the University of Peradeniya in the year 1952 and continued playing hockey for the University team.

After getting the Degree, he occupied many positions in the Administrative Service in the Department of Health and later on became the Additional Secretary of the University Grants Commission. Finally he was the General Manager (Administrative) of the Ceylon Government Railway.

Although he occupied many top-ranking positions he did not lose the touch with Sports and he was always occupied with his old School Dharmaraja College, Kandy. Just after passing out from the University after the Bachelor of Arts degree he joined the Staff of Dharmaraja College, Kandy and helped a great deal in the sports activities, especially Cricket & Hockey. He was instrumental in producing cricketers like T.B.Kehelgamuwa, G.S.Ratnayake and Daya Jayasundera to name a few. After that only he joined the Administrative Service and still he is involved in all the activities in the College and he says that most of the sports activities are with held due to the Corona epidemic.

Two former Trinity College ruggerites Pradeep Basnayake and Kavinda Jayasena, both “Lion” winners were elected as President and Secretary of the Central Province Rugby Football Union on Saturday morning, at the AGM held at the Kandy Club. Pradeep Basnayake takes over from former St Anthony’s College ruggerite who led the school to beat Trinity College for the first time in 1972 Tuan Dole, who stepped down at the AGM The outgoing secretary Nihal Viper Gunaratne jnr. who is after a surgery due to an ankle injury was unable to attend the meeting.

Pradeep Basnayake played for Trinity College in the years 1994 and 1995, and led Kandy SC and Sri Lanka He is a double international, represented the country in Rugby and Basketball. He is a world rugby level II course holder. He played for Kandy SC for ten years and many years for the country and gave his best as a top class forward. Now he is a top class coach and started his coaching at Trinity in 2008 being in charge of the Under 20 outfit and later on taking charge of the Under 18 side along with Thushitha De Silva.

Kavinda Jayasena played for Trinity for many years and later for Kandy SC, Havelock SC and Sri Lanka. He is an IRB rugby commissioner and the present overall rugby manager of Trinity College rugby. Represented his school at all age groups (13, 15, 17 & 1st XV) and at club level. He represented Havelock Sports Club from 2001-2002 and from 2006 to 2015, captaining the side in 2008 and 2011. In the year 2003 he came back to his home town where he learnt the game and played for Kandy SC in 2003. Then in the mercantile tournament he played for Hatton National Bank from 2000 -2004. At national level, represented the Sri Lanka Youth team in 1999, then in 2001 played for the Sri Lanka team in the world cup-qualifying matches. He was team manager Havelock Sports Club 2013 & 2015 seasons, coached Lanka Hospitals Rugby team for the Mercantile Rugby 7s in 2012 to 2014.

It was nice to see two former presidents Mohan Samarakoon and Edwin Viper Gunaratne Snr. Coming in as Trustees with Manjula Samarakoon as Vice President a new name for this Union and M. Rifas Treasurer.

So, much is expected from the new committee to promote the game, The Central Province Rugby Football Union (CPRFU) was established in 1992. Its founder members are Kandy SC, Dimbulla A & CC, Dickoya M CC and Peradeniya University. and later clubs like OTSC and Kandy Youth, all of whom have at one time or another competed in the SLRFU ‘A’ Division competition. The CPRFU also included Katugastota Rugby Football Club, Polgolla Rugby Football Club, Mawilmada Rugby Football Club, Matale Rugby Football Club, Nuwara Eliya Rugby Football Club and Pilimatalawa Rugby Football Club and played in CPRFU tournaments. By 2008 had 18 clubs playing in the up-country rugby league. There are 52 schools in the Central Province engaged in rugby apart from the leading schools teams likeTrinity, Kingswood, St. Anthony’s, Dharmaraja, St. Sylvester’s, Sri Sumangala, Sri Rahula, and Vidyartha.

The people who gave a big hand for CPRFU from its inspection in 1992 were Lionel Almeida, Maurice Perera the man who developed rugby in the North Central Province and Central Province. Under his presidency he organized several tournaments and spotted talented youth. He scored an impressive first by sending the first ever women’s rugby team to participate in a tournament in Thailand. Then Dr. Sarath Kapuwatte, Iswan Omar, Hafiz Marikar, Leslie de Soysa, Trevor Nugawela, Mohan Samarakoon, Edwin Viper Gunaratne (snr), Tuan Dole, Harin Costa.

Former Cambrian all round cricketer and coach Andige Kalpa Devinda Fernando is the present Junior Head Cricket Coach of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo having taken over last September.

Kalpa commenced his school career at the Anglican School, Moratumulla, Moratuwa and after passing the Year Five scholarship exam he joined Prince of Wales College. He attended under 13 practices under Bandula de Silva and got selected as an all rounder and played for the division two team in 1991. He is a right hand bat and a right hand medium pace bowler and later he took up to off spin. In 1992 he was appointed as the captain and Cambrians clinched the all island championship and he passed the 400 run mark and claimed 22 wickets

In the following year in the under 15 he was Vice Captain and in the following year 1994 he captained the team and came up to semi finals and lost to Sebs and he passed the 300 run mark also. In 1995 and 1996 he represented the under 17 team and scored 250 runs in his second year In 1997 and 1998 he represented the second eleven team and played in two Mini Battles scoring 78 and 48 runs respectively. He played in only one Big Match and the Limited Overs Match in 1999 and was awarded colours.

After leaving school he joined the Garment Trade and from 2000 to 2002 he played in the under 23 tournament and in 2002 played in the Sara Trophy for Moratuwa Sports Club. He took up to coaching in 2006 at the Marian Cooray Cricket Academy and served for two years and in 2009 he joined as the Assistant Coach at the Sebs Cricket Academy and served up to 2016. Then he worked under Rashan Peiris and in 2012 and 2013 he served as a Senior Assistant Coach under Pasan Weerasinghe. In the same year he commenced coaching the under 15 A & B Teams and Sebs reached the quarter finals and he was promoted as the Head Coach of the Academy too.

In 2014 he took up the appointment as the Junior Level under 13 and 15 head coach at his Alma Mater. He took over as the Head Coach in 2018 and 19 and the Big Match ended in a draw and won the Limited Over Match under Suwath Mendis after a lapse of six years. During his seven year stint with the Cambrians he had several achievements in 2013 they became all island champions, under 15 division two runner up and in 2013 under 13 Champions. In the years of 2015 to 2018 Cambrians came up to Semi Finals in the under 15 tournament. Mean while he passed the Level One in 2008 and Level Two in 2013, Fitness Coaching Level One in 2015 and Curators Level One in 2018.

During this period First Eleven Team came up to Semi Finals and in One Day Quarter Finals in 2017 and 2018 and 2019 under 19 team reached the Semi Finals in the One Dayer and the two day Quarter Finals. He was able to produce two bowlers Savindu Peiris with 107 wickets in 2017/18 Kaumal Nanayakkara with 110 wickets and both of them surpassed the record of 106 scalps claimed by W. O. de Silva in 1906. Also two players Tharindu Amarasinghe and Dinura Fernando toured Malaysia with the Sri Lanka under 19 team. Meanwhile Vishwa Chathuranga got Selected for the Sri Lanka under 19 team.

The Ampara District Sports Festival -2020 that was put on hold halfway due to Covid 19 pandemic is to be held in September 2020 said Ampara District Secretariat Sports Officer M.I.M.Ameer Ali.

Major games which is part of the Sports Festival was in progress when the Covid 19 spread began.

The Ampara District Secretariat Sports Officer M.I.M.Ameer Ali has instructed all Sports Officers attached to Divisional Secretariats in the district to complete the divisional level sports meet before end of August 2020.

Table tennis, badminton, chess, carrom, rugby, basket ball, beach volleyball, kabaddi and karate (mens’ and womens’ divisions) are completed and cricket, football, volleyball, swim and elle are to be completed.

Here are the final results of the major games of the Ampara District Sports Festival -2020 held in Sammanthurai Presidential Sports Complex , South Eastern University of Sri Lanka (SEUSL), Oluvil play ground, Karathivu play ground and Karathivu beach ground.

Table Tennis

Champion – Akkaraipattu DS division. Runner-up - Nintavur DS division.

Badminton

Champion – Sammanthurai DS division, Runner-up - Kalmunai (Muslim) DS division.

Chess

Champion – Kalmunai (Muslim) DS division. Runner-up - Sainthamaruthu DS division

Carrom

Champion – Akkaraipattu DS division. Runner-up - Sammanthurai DS division.

Rugby

Champion – Champion – Addalaichnai DS division. Runner-up - Sainthamaruthu DS division.

Basketball

Champion – Karathivu DS division. Runner-up - Kalmunai (Tamil) DS division.

Beach Volleyball

Champion – Dehiyatakandy DS division. Runner-up - Kalmunai (Tamil) DS division.

Kabaddi

Champion – Nintavur DS division. Runner-up - Addalaichenai DS division.

Karate. (Mens’ division)

Champion – Alayadivembu DS division. Runner-up - Ampara DS division.

Karate. (Womens’ division)

Champion – Ampara DS division. Runner-up - Alayadivembu DS division.

JOHANNESBURG, Sun day: Bidvest Wits, formed in 1921 and the oldest club in the SouthAfrican Premiership this season, have been sold just one year before they would have celebrated their centenary.

The Johannesburg side, whose 5,000-seat stadium lies in the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand, have been bought by a businessman from the northern Limpopo province.

Sponsors Bidvest, a South African services, trading and distribution company with more than 120,000 employees, gave no official reason for the sale.

New owner Masala Mulaudzi reportedly paid between 35 and 40 million rand ($2-2.3m/1.8-2m euros) after selling a second-tier club he owned. He plans to relocate Wits to Makhado, a town 435 kilometres (270 miles) north of Johannesburg and build a complex including training facilities, offices and accommodation for players.

But none of the current Wits squad nor highly successful coach Gavin Hunt will be moving as Mulaudzi has admitted he does not have the financial resources to pay their salaries. Hunt, the best modern-era South African coach not to have handled the national team, reportedly earns about 600,000 rand a month. It is widely believed that the former defender is the second highest paid Premiership coach after Pitso Mosimane of Mamelodi Sundowns, whose salary is believed to top one million rand. AFP

This is a report from Full Fact, a fact-checking website. We carry this article as many readers have asked us about Facebook posts which contain many falsehoods about the Coronavirus and how it is transmitted.

“We’ve seen variations of the text being shared on social media and via blog posts. Almost all of the claims—that Covid-19 is caused by a bacteria, that it is related to 5G, that autopsies were banned, and Italy broke rules to perform them—are false.

“Italy has become the first Country in the world to conduct an “AUTOPSY” on a Covid-19 dead body, & after carrying out a comprehensive Scientific investigation they found out that Covid-19 as a VIRUS doesn’t Exist, it’s all just a Global Scam…”

Italy was not the first country to perform a post-mortem on a Covid-19 patient. Forensic scientists in Wuhan, China performed post-mortems as early as February 16, which was before the first detected Covid-19 death in Italy, on February 21.

Italian post-mortems did not discover that the virus causing Covid-19 doesn’t exist. People are actually dying as a result of Amplified Global 5G Electromagnetic Radiation Poisoning.

Covid-19 is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2, not 5G. The symptoms of Covid-19 and radiation poisoning are completely different.

5G is the next generation of wireless network technology. 5G mobile data is transmitted over radio waves—a small part of the whole electromagnetic spectrum (which includes microwaves, visible light and X-rays). These radio waves are non-ionising, meaning they don’t damage the DNA inside cells.

Public Health England has said that there’s no “convincing evidence” that exposure below the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation guidelines can cause adverse health effects. These guidelines go up to 300GHz, whereas the maximum for 5G will only be in the tens of GHz.

“Italian doctors, disobeyed the world health law (W.H.O), Which is NOT to carry out AUTOPSIES”

It’s not true that the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that post mortems could not take place. The WHO released guidance on March 24 on safety measures for managing bodies and performing post-mortems on patients who had died of Covid-19.

It’s true that Italian doctors also performed post-mortems on Covid-19 patients.

“Italy defeats the so-called Covid-19, which is nothing other than “Disseminated intravascular coagulation”(Thrombosis)

And the way to combat it, that is, its cure, is with “Antibiotics, Anti-inflammatories and Anticoagulants” (ASPIRIN)”

The idea that Covid-19 patients have been misdiagnosed, and actually have disseminated intravascular coagulation, is incorrect. Disseminated intravascular coagulation can be present in Covid-19 pneumonia patients, but it’s not the case that patients have that instead of Covid-19.

Antibiotics are not used to directly treat viruses, though can be given to Covid-19 patients who are suffering from secondary bacterial infections. The anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen is being tested to see whether it can help Covid-19 patients, and the anticoagulant heparin has been used in some cases to treat Covid-19 illness. Aspirin can be used for pain relief in adults if they have a cough or cold but is not a specific cure or treatment for Covid-19.

“Something else, according to Italian pathologists. The ventilators and the intensive care unit were never needed.”

We could find no record of Italian doctors or pathologists saying this. There was widespread coverage and studies of how many Covid-19 patients needed intensive care treatment in the country. Although there has been some debate about how ventilators are used, Covid-19 can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome, which will often lead to needing a ventilator.

“In Italy the so-called global COVID-19 pandemic is revealed not as a virus.”

Covid-19 illness is caused by a virus. Scientists have been studying the disease and its cause for several months now, and have sequenced the genetic material of the virus.

“If they get to contract the Covid-19 which is NOT A VIRUS as they have made us believe,but a bactarium which actually has been amplified by 5G electromagnetic radiation that also produces inflammation and hypoxia.”

It’s true that people with Covid-19 can get secondary infections caused by bacteria, but the bacteria themselves don’t cause Covid-19. There’s absolutely no evidence that 5G radiation has any effect on the immune system, or Covid-19 illness.

Hypoxia, which is a general term for low oxygen in the body, can be a symptom of Covid-19. It’s not clear what exactly the post means by inflammation—some serious effects of Covid-19 can be pneumonia, which is inflammation of the lung tissue, and some other fatal effects can be generally referred to as types of inflammation, for example sepsis.

“[People with Covid-19] Should do the following: They are going to take Aspirin 100mg and Apronax or Paracetamol”

Aspirin has not been proved to be an effective treatment for Covid-19, however, there is at least one study looking into this.

‘Apronax’ seems to be a brand name for the drug naproxen, which reduces swelling in people with conditions like gout. This isn’t yet recommended for treating Covid-19 either, but a trial on its efficacy is taking place in France.

The promotion and relegation rule will not be implemented in this year’s Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Premier League Inter-Club Cricket Tournament which is set to resume next month after the clearance from the Health Ministry authorities.

“This is what the Tournament Committee has decided. There will not be any promotion and relegation of teams. The tournament was interrupted midway due to the Coronavirus pandemic,” a top official of SLC told the Daily News yesterday.

“It is not fair by the clubs. They have lost some of their top overseas players as well and now they cannot return back. The players are out of cricket for so long,” he pointed out.

“But if we had continued with the tournament then we would have definitely implemented the system. Probably from next season we would stick to that rule.”

Meanwhile, Badureliya CC have escaped with a financial fine after their Group ‘B’ fixture against NCC was abandoned due to a dangerous wicket at the Surrey Grounds in Maggona.

The two match umpires Ranganath Prasanna and Nilan de Silva decided to stop the game midway on the second day of this three-day fixture as the wicket was not in good condition to continue play.

“We had an inquiry. The host team was Badureliya CC. They are responsible for providing a good wicket. Accordingly, the Tournament Committee imposed a fine on Badureliya CC and declared the match as null-and-void under the tournament rules.”

“Whatever the bonus points we would give it to the two teams because the match was not completed,” the source elaborated.

“The umpires felt that the pitch at the Surrey Grounds in Maggona was not in good condition to continue play and was dangerous.”

“Badureliya CC were hosting the match and according to the tournament rules, the host team is responsible for providing a good wicket,” he stressed.

“Only one side had batted and the wicket was deteriorating and so the umpires thought it was dangerous to play and they stopped the match. There was no result and so we cannot award points to anyone except for the bonus points.”

“As the host of the match, Badureliya CC were handed a heavy financial fine. We cannot suspend the team as the match was worked off for one and a half days. So, I don’t think there was any unfairness for both teams,” the source added further.

NCC, who were put into bat, had reached 187 for two in 55.2 overs with opener Pathum Nissanka stroking an unbeaten century.

However, the result has not made a great impact on the final standings as NCC are placed second in the points table while Badureliya CC are struggling in sixth place.

Former National women’s cricketer Sripali Weerakkody has become the first Sri Lankan woman cricketer to qualify as Master and Fitness Trainer in Australia. She has been certified by the Australian Institute of Fitness.

“This had been my dream as a female cricketer in the Sri Lankan National pool after 16 years of international cricket. Most people used to ask me why I was not to been seen on the field last year and this was the result of my absence,” the 34-year-old lower-order left-hand batswoman and right-arm medium-pacer Sripali Weerakkody said.

She further added “After years of intense study I have finally qualified internationally as a Master and Fitness Trainer by the Australian Institute of Fitness.” Weerakkody who rendered yeoman service as all rounder played 89 ODI’s taking 58 wickets while she has taken 31 wickets in her 53 T-20’s career She was also very useful low order batter with having 722 runs at ODI’s. At one stage she was the opening bowler with Chamani Seneviratne who also later captained the side.

Earlier she was a member of Kandyan Ladies Club , Slimline SC and later jointed Colts CC .She also completed a level two coaching course Sripali Weerakkody also said “Now I can train any international team and travel to any country for training with these qualifications”.

“I would love to join T20 teams, especially the IPL and BBL (Big Bash Leagues) because I love challenges and love to go with new strategies,” she added.

Sripali had dedicated her certificate and new journey to fitness trainer and famous Yoga Instructor Dr. Miuru Jayaweera, her business partner at Myrus Fitness company and Norman Kochannek, a tax specialist and her Australian friend and mentor.

Actually I want to thank Norman for being a father figure for me and throughout my academic journery.

Especially Dr Miuru Jayaweera if she was not there for me I wouldn’t have achieved it she was like my sister and best friend to me. Finally I would like to thank Dr Michael and Sri Lanka women’s team physiotherapist Tasneem for being there for her throughout her Academy journey added Weerakkody

Sports Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has asked Sports Ministry officials to identify the sports goods that can be produced in the country and take necessary steps to manufacture them in the country Actually most of the sports goods and equipment required for the sports sector are imported from overseas.

It was understood the value of 2319 million rupees already spent for imported sports goods (CIF values). However it was identified that 30% of these imported sports goods could be manufactured in Sri Lanka if we are going to manufacture our own products it will definitely save a large amount of money.

The present Government has already taken necessary action to curb imported materials to encourage our own products market. Already 18 categories of goods and equipment that can be used in Sri Lanka for sport proposes were identified . Actually compared to many other countries Sri Lankan technicians are highly skilled and also highly qualified. During the lock down period so many imported materials were manufactured by our workers and if we decide to manufacture sports goods here it is going to have a good market The.Minister also pointed out Sri Lanka’s workforce can easily produce quality products in an environment where imports are restricted for sporting goods and thereby create a large workforce in the country.

Meanwhile discussions were held to identify the problems faced by the local entrepreneurs who are currently engaged in the production of sports goods and would like to contribute to the production process, Provisions of quality assurance system for sports goods manufactured in the country by National and International recognized standards .In addition special attention was paid to the creation of a legal framework for granting tax concessions for importing of raw materials.

Meanwhile the Sports Minister requested all to submit proposals to the Ministry of Sports to promote the production of sports goods in the country.

The Following categories of goods and equipment that can be used in Sri Lanka for sports were identified Children playground equipment, Childrens sports and Recreational, Track and Field equipment , All team game equipment, Gymnastic equipment, Body building and weight training apparatus, Multi station Exercise machine, Sports mattresses, Sport Festival equipment, Stadium chairs, Sportsmen practice equipment, Waste Management equipment, Steel Furniture, Fibre Glass furniture, Medical equipment, Cricket coir matting, Soft ball cricket bats and stumps, Sportswear.

KARACHI, June28, 2020: Pakistan batting coach and former cricketing great Younis Khan singled out fast-rising paceman Jofra Archer as a “major threat” in his team’s forthcoming matches against England.

The Pakistan squad left on Sunday for England, where they will play three Tests and as many Twenty20 internationals, starting in the first week of August.

Younis said 25-year-old Archer has made a reputation for himself since qualifying to play for England and going on to play a key role in last year’s Ashes and triumphant World Cup campaign.

“He (Archer) is a real match winner and a threat,” Younis told AFP before the team’s departure. “Archer has strong nerves which he proved while bowling a crucial super over in the World Cup final,” said Younis of England’s nail-biting win over New Zealand at Lord’s last year.

“He has bite in his bowling and his high arm action is very good and gives him nip in his bowling,” he added. But Younis -- himself playing a key role in Pakistan’s 2-2 series draw in England in 2016 with a double hundred in the last Test at The Oval -- said Barbados-born Archer can be countered.

“There is hype around him so that can be an added pressure on him. I have told the batsmen to play close to the body and play on the back foot because his in-swinger can be very dangerous.” Younis remembered playing Archer in Pakistan’s practice game against Sussex in 2016. AFP

WASHINGTON, June28, 2020: Madison Keys made it through another tense finish on Saturday, letting one match point slip before finishing off Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-3, 5-7 10-2 in the women's tennis event in Charleston, South Carolina.

Keys, who would have been defending her 2019 Charleston WTA title earlier this year if the coronavirus pandemic hadn't halted play on the women's tennis tour, had overcome a late lapse on Thursday in a 6-1, 6-7 (6/8), 10-4 victory over fellow American Caroline Dolehide. She said the tight finishes in the 16-player team event, being played with strict social distancing protocols and with no spectators, would stand her in good stead when the WTA resumes in Palermo on August 3. She was up two breaks at 4-0 in the second set, and held a match point against Kenin's serve in the ninth game that she couldn't convert.

Keys dropped her next two service games but regrouped in the 10-point tiebreaker, saying she was “kind of giving myself a little bit of grace, knowing that I don't have those big points under my belt right now.

“I know that these matches come in handy later, once the tour comes back and (I'm) just using that as an opportunity and not being too hard on myself.” The match pitted the top-ranked players to feature in the team event, which is being played on the same green clay courts that host the annual WTA Charleston event. Kenin, who won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, is ranked fourth in the world while Keys is ranked 13th. “When you play someone like (Kenin) you know that she is going to up her levels, especially when it matters,” Keys said. “She definitely did that at the end of the second set.

“A few of those points were me, but I thought I had a pretty clean tiebreaker.” In the evening matches, Jennifer Brady beat fellow American Sloane Stephens 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) while the contest between Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Shelby Rogers was halted by rain.

AFP

KARACHI, June 27: Pakistan's cricket team will leave for its tour of England on Sunday without 10 players who tested positive for coronavirus at least once this week, the country's cricket board said Saturday.

The board chief executive Wasim Khan said the players left behind can rejoin the squad of 18 players once they have taken two negative tests.

Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain and Kashif Bhatti first tested positive earlier this week.

Follow-up tests found Bhatti, Rauf, Ali and Imran Khan were still positive.

Pakistan's tour of England is set to include three Tests and three Twenty20 internationals.

The squad will have a 14-day isolation period on arrival before continuing their preparations ahead of the first Test with two four-day warm-up matches.

It is expected that the first Test will take place in Manchester in August but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the behind-closed-doors match schedule would be announced in “due course”.

Wasim Khan said Pakistan were observing ECB guidelines.

“We were given protocols by the ECB which we have followed. Players are likely to be tested five to seven times before the first Test in England and that is to be done for their safety,” he said.

AFP