(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Namal Rajapaksa said people have a wrong impression of him only favouring certain sports and sporting events in the country and internationally.
Rajapaksa told “This is a wrong perception that has been labelled about me.I I am the minister for all sports in the country, it’s just not rugby and cricket.I have scheduled immediate meetings with sports organizations, and will discuss with respective authorities and take in their proposals for the future of sports”.
He added, that there will be certain sports identified as priority sports and we will develop those.
“At the initial stage we have identified four pillars, one is leisure sports, professional sports, sports entertainment and introducing a new norm called E-sports. All these pillars will benefit individuals, identifying talent to represent the country, generating income through sporting events and creating online sports focusing on technology.
These sports and sporting events will be the main priority, where it will focus on the representation of professionals and getting placed at top sports events across the globe.
“In the next five years, the ultimate aim should be winning medals and championships”.
He said the ministry will be the focal point in creating equal opportunity for youth, where we communicate with ministers related to youth affairs and work with them to find potential and give equal opportunity.
“In the next five years, we will be closely associating with ministries, in relation to job opportunities in Sri Lanka and abroad, skills development, sports and many other aspects. It’s our duty to guide youth. Sri Lanka has a global identity, and if they get opportunities globally it’s good for the economy”
He stated Sri Lanka is looking at developing an air and sea hub, and be the focal point of Asia, “In order to achieve all this we should think out of the box, we need to create more opportunities for youth within the country and internationally as well. At the end what matters is their contribution to the global economy and Sri Lankan economy”.
