Two athletes lose out on scholarship funds after drop in progress | Sunday Observer

Two athletes lose out on scholarship funds after drop in progress

22 November, 2020

Two Sri Lankan athletes who were receiving funds from the IOC solidarity scholarship to prepare them for the 2021 Olympic Games, have lost further funding after being found to have dropped in progress and standards.

The duo are Vidusha Lakshani and Gayanthika Abeyratne who are track and field athletes and received US$ 670 per month from 2016 which ended in August this year. Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) had also not submitted reports on their progress in recent times that has prompted the National Olympic Committee (NOC) to halt the funding provided by the IOC.

“We depend on the reports sent by Sri Lanka Athletics on the progress made by the athletes receiving these scholarship funds. But the association did not submit these reports and the athletes were inactive too.

“We are forced to suspend this scholarship funding,” said Maxwell de Silva, the Secretary of the NOC.

Incidentally, the NOC has accepted the nomination of women’s 3000m steeple chase runner Nilani Ratnayake sent in by SLA for the scholarship.

She has proved to be the most promising prospect for the country’s hope for qualification to the Olympics.

Another name put forward by SLA for this scholarship was Sumedha Ranasinghe who is also within range of qualification. The javelin thrower represented Sri Lanka at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

But the NOC selected Ratnayake with the other scholarship going to wrestler Chamara Perera who impressed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Sri Lanka IOC Solidarity scholarship recipients are Thilanka Kumara (Weightlifting ) USD 670 per month, Chamara Dharmawardana (Judo) USD 1000 per month, Matthew Abeysinghe (Swimming) USD 1000 per month, Chamara Perera (Wrestling) USD 670 per month, Nilani Ratnayake (Athletics) USD 670 per month and Milka Gehani (Artistic Gymnastics)

 

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