The National Association of Canoeing and Kayaking has drawn up plans to boost the sport in the island by producing its own crafts hopefully with government support, its chairman Rohan Prithiviraj Perera told the Sunday Observer.
Perera said there is plenty of room and scope for the development of kayaking in the country and that the potential is yet to be harnessed.
“This is a big hurdle to overcome,” said Perera. “If we can achieve this and make our own canoes, we can make big strides in this sport.”
Perera said he has already had talks with Sports Ministry secretary KDS Ruwanchandra on the matter and was positive of the outcome.
He said that as a first step his association plans to produce 60 of the canoes that will inject the impetus into kayaking to the next level.
“We are an island with enough water resources to popularize kayaking here although our association is only 14 years in existence,” said Perera whose association also plans to set up a boathouse in Battaramulla on the banks of the Diyawanna Oya.
Currently Sri Lanka depends on countries like Japan, China, Iran and India for kayaking assistance in the form of canoes while some local sponsors have also shown interest according to Perera.