By Reemus Fernando
The Department of Sports of the Ministry of Education has made amendments to its sports programmes that will pave the way for a couple of new long distance events to be included in track and field competitions from the upcoming season.
The Under 18 age category will have the 3,000 metres as its longest track event from this season after the secretary of the Ministry of Education M.N. Ranasinghe signed the new circular yesterday.
The grueling event has been competed around the world by athletes in the Under 18 age category for years. The 3,000 metres has also been competed at two major local competitions, the Junior National Athletics Championships conducted by Sri Lanka Athletics and the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championships conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association, though the event was not a part of the programme at the Education Ministry conducted athletics championships. The All Island Schools Games Athletics Championships which is conducted in multiple stages from Divisional, Zonal, Provincial and All Island level is the premier athletics event conducted by the Ministry of Education.
The importance of including the 3,000 metres in the schools athletics programme and reintroducing the long distance medley relay to the Under 18 age category of the Schools Relay Carnival was highlighted by veteran athletics coach Susantha Fernando at a recent meeting convened by the Ministry of Education. The meeting was also attended by the representatives of Sri Lanka Athletics, Sports Medical Unit and the Directors of Sports (Education) of the nine provinces.
“The new event (3,000m) will be competed in the Under 18 age category. It will be first competed in the upcoming Divisional and Zonal competitions before the winners advance to the Provincial and National level events,” Upali Amaratunga, the Director of Sports of the Ministry of Education told The Island after the new amendments were approved yesterday.
The 1,500 metres was the longest track event for the athletes of the Under 18 age category up to last season.
According to the new circular the track and field competitions in the Under 12 age category will proceed only up to provincial level, while the Under 14 age category will have the 800 metres included in the event schedule. The Under 14 age category will also have the 60 metres instead of the 80 metres as its sprint event.
For the Education Ministry sanctioned Relay Carnival, the Under 16 age category will have the 4×800 metres relay, while the Under 18 and Under 20 age categories will have the long distance medley relay making a return after a lapse of four years.
Meanwhile, scrapping of the Under 12 100 metres freestyle and backstroke events from the swimming programme, introduction of aerobic gymnastics to the Under 14 age category, increasing the distance of boys’ cycling event to 50 kilo metres and changes to age categories and weight classes of wrestling events and judo events are the other changes that will come to effect from this season.
