Sri Lankan power lifters who have performed well in international events such as the Asian and Commonwealth Games and won medals are lamenting on the need to discard outdated equipment and acquire sufficient latest models that will take them into the future.
They are expecting to meet Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa to air their grievances and say they are yet to have access to what they call a “real power-lifting set”.
“In the past we conveyed our shortcoming to Sports Ministers but none of them did anything to solve the problem. But this time we can hope that our basic needs will be addressed,” said one of the power lifters.
An official of the Power Lifting Association who did not wish to be quoted said that just because medals are won on the international stage the big wigs running the sport in the country think there is no need to acquire new equipment. The Sri Lanka Power Lifting Association is now run by an interim committee headed by Dr. Lal Ekanayake the Director General of the Medical Department in the Sports Ministry.
A new weight lifting set is estimated to cost nearly Rs. 8 million for 500 kilograms which is sufficient for Sri Lankans.