Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation conducted the first Central Asian Beach Volleyball Tournament in Sri Lanka at the Negombo Beach Park recently.
One of Sri Lankan women’s teams won the trophy of this tournament. The winning team members were Deepika Bandara and Dinesha Prasadini. The Youth Observer caught up with them to discuss their win.
Q: You both won the Central Asia Beach Volleyball tournament held recently. Could you tell me something about the victory?
A: It was held at the Negombo Beach Park. We participated as separate Sri Lankan teams. A few Sri Lankan women’s teams participated in the tournament. Finally we won the women’s tournament title. We are very happy about that victory.
Q: The reality is the standard of the competition was not high as several countries did not participate in this tournament. What have you to say?
A: We do not agree with your comment. As players who took part in the competition only we know the competition we had to face. Of course the competition being held in Sri Lanka was an advantage for us. But the competition was tough.
Q: However, I heard that one of the most powerful teams in Central Asia did not participate in the tournament. Wasn’t that so?
A: You are referring to the Kazakhstan team that did not participate in this tournament. You are right. They are the most powerful team in the region. We were fully prepared to face them. However, they decided to not participate in this tournament because Covid. So, we lost that chance. We are sure we would have beaten them had they taken part in the tournament.
Q: Both of you are lion-hearted women in volleyball. There is no doubt about that. Could you brief me on your training before the tournament?
A: We trained hard at the Negombo Beach Park every day. We had a foreign coach and he gave us valuable advice.
Q: What were the countries that participated in the Central Asia Beach Volleyball Tournament?
A: Maldives, Pakistan, Iran and Uzbekistan were the countries that participated in this tournament. As I said earlier, we were expecting Kazakhstan to take part in this tournament. But at the last moment they withdrew.
Q: Now let’s talk about the two of you. How would you introduce yourselves?
A: I am Deepika Bandara, living in Kantale. I studied at National College, Trincomalee. I have been playing volleyball since 2001 and have had a deep love for the game from the beginning. In 2017, I was selected to the national volleyball pool.
I work at MAS Casualline in Mawathagama. My team partner and the captain of the team is Dinesha Prasadini.
Dinesha: I live at Katupotha in Chilaw. I am now 35 years old and I work in the Sri Lanka Air Force. I got involved in sports during my school days.
I have also captained the Sri Lanka volleyball team. Four years ago I took to beach volleyball and in 2019 I was made captain of the Sri Lanka beach volleyball team.
Q: Dinesha, could you tell me about a major victory that the Sri Lanka beach volleyball team has won?
A: Dinesha: A couple of years ago we won 16th place in the selection tournament for the Asian Games. I think we had a chance to achieve several milestones in that tournament. But the pandemic affected us badly.
Q: What are the main differences between beach volleyball and normal volleyball?
A: Normal volleyball games are conducted with six players. But, the beach volleyball team has two players only and is played on the beach. It is a very hard and tiring game compared to normal volleyball. One must have endurance to be involved in this game. The court is smaller than a normal volleyball court. Those are the main differences.
Q: How did you train for this game? How many hours a day did you sacrifice for it?
A: We trained daily for about two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening at the Negombo beach.
Q: Who were your coaches?
A: Our main coach is Finnish national named Rando. Pubudu Ekanayaka and Thaksila Neranji are the assistant coaches.
Q: Can you recollect Sri Lanka’s achievements in beach volleyball?
A: We won a gold medal in the South Asian Games in 2019.
Q: The game is played in the scorching Sun. Is the game popular among girls?
A: That is the problem. Girls do like to stay in direct sunlight as it affects the skin colour. Due to this very few girls take to beach volleyball. It is a major stumbling block to popularising the game.
