SLUG XIII 2019 is coming round the corner and will be happening down south at the University of Ruhuna. They success of any sport in the university will not be complete without the support of its Sports Council. As MoraSpirit we came up close and personal with the President of the University of Moratuwa Sports Council Sineth Wimalsiri.
We would like to know something about you.
I am Sineth Eranga Wimalsiri. I am an old boy of Ananda College Colombo and Gampaha Bandarawatta Parakrama Mahavidyalaya. I am currently studying as a final year undergraduate at Electrical Engineering Department at my university and I serve as the captain of the weightlifting team in University of Moratuwa in addition to being the President of the Sports Council.
As a sportsman, what is your idea about Sri Lanka University Games (SLUG) which is held once in three years?
The days which SLUG takes place can be considered as a very competitive season. Having said that, many state universities tend to focus more on sports for that. Therefore our university is also practicing for SLUG 2019.
What are the sports championships and special achievements that University of Moratuwa has been able to achieve during last years?
We were able to secure ten championships and 6 runners-up positions in the last University Games Series. Additionally we were able to acquire the overall men’s championship we have missed for many years.
SLUG 2019 is around the corner and we are sure that the sportsmen and sportswomen in the university are getting ready for the upcoming matches. We hope to know about their practices and preparations towards the matches.
Almost everyone in every sport is preparing for SLUG with great enthusiasm by dedicating their time. Having said that, every player in our university aims to bring the victory trophies to our university.
We hope there are key players in each and every sport who have performed very well in tournaments and matches. What kind of expectations can we have towards them for this year’s SLUG?
We have got 5 players that have been selected for World University Games this year. There are 4 players from Table Tennis and one player from Tennis in total. Additionally we have players who have participated international tournaments for Chess and Karate etc. Therefore I hope those key players will be able to do outstanding performances in upcoming SLUG matches as well.
It is visible that there exists a decreasing rate of female players when it comes to sports in the university. What kind of an idea do you have on that?
Given that there are lesser number of female students in the university, there are some instances where we lack in players for some sports in female category. However I should mention that we were able to win the championship for Table Tennis, Karate and Taekwondo in last year’s championships. Therefore we expect to increase the number of championships and achievements in the women’s category this time. I want to say that since the beginning of this year almost every girls’ team has been actively practicing for upcoming matches. Thinking positively, we expect that this time there will be a special comeback from girl’s teams as well.
In some instances there are possibilities of losing talented players for various reasons (Passed outs, serious injuries etc. ). How are the teams managing the standards and quality of their teams when such challenges are to be faced?
Normally from all the batches we take new players to our teams so that we are able to train the new players from the beginning even though we have to bid farewell to the final year students who have to pass out from university and we are able to maintain the stability of the teams. Additionally by training them we are able to bring them to a better level when they come to their senior years. Therefore I think it is effective and it won’t let us drop from our standards in performing when it comes to sports.
Finally, what kind of message do you have to give to the audience?
SLUG has a high competitive environment. As the president of Sports Council I should mention that, we, all the players hope to perform better and gain the overall victory to our university. We also expect to move further by winning more championships along with the championships we have been able to secure so far. I also expect that our audience from university will be there on the days to cheer for us as it is a great strength and a support for the players which highly matters. Additionally I wish all the players of other universities to do their best and we expect we’ll be able to play SLUG in a competitive background. Finally I would like to thank our Physical Education Director, Mr. Rathnamudali and the rest of the staff, our coaches, parents, players and all those who are supporting us.
Stay tuned with the latest updates on SLUG XIII with MoraSpirit.com as we bring you exclusive coverage and photographs of this grand sporting encounter.
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