SL to send largest ever contingent to Asian Games
Sri Lanka is set to send their largest ever contingent to the Asian Games with the total being 255 which includes 177 athletes representing 30 sports disciplines, will fly off to Indonesia later this month for the 2018 edition.
The team includes 135 male, 43 female athletes together with 66 officials which makes up a total of 243. This will be joined by Chef de Mission, deputy chef de mission, four medical staff and six Head quarters and administration staff.
The Athletic Association (AASL) cut down their contingent to 14 athletes from the original 24, based on recent performances and the NOC sources suggest, there are a few alternations to be made to the squad due to this decision.
It’s ironic that the Minister of Sports Faiszer Musthapha, during the first few weeks after taking office, had openly reiterated that they will only send athletes for these types of Games, if they are within the medal range and associations such as athletics, cut down their quota, on setting the qualification standards for the average Bronze performance based on previous Asian Games’.
Yet, the NOC had later introduced a policy, to give more chances to Sri Lankan athletes, with the increase in the number of sports that had been introduced to the Asian Games like baseball being featured for the first time.
Sri Lanka has won 11 Gold medals in its history of the Asian Games with ten coming from track and field. Once again, it will be track and field that will lead the medal hopes of the nation even though there are a number of other sports in the mix.
Long jumper Janaka Prasad Wimalasiri who leapt 8.14m during the last Nationals has performed better than the last Asian Games’ Gold medallist (8.01M) on a number of occasions, hence will be the brightest medal prospect for Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Men’s 4x400m relay team, will light up the other medal hope as they are ranked number 2 in Asia, only behind the Indian quartet.
Surprisingly, Weight Lifting, which produced three medals at the Commonwealth Games, has only four athletes competing in the Asian Games as the standard of Asian weight Lifting, is much higher than that of the Commonwealth Games.
Increase in the number of team sports has made up the staggering number of entries as Sri Lanka is set to feature in team games such as Volleyball, Basketball, Hockey, Kabaddi, Rugby Sevens and Baseball.
Accordingly, 30 member Kabbadi team, 23 member Hockey team and a 22 member baseball team will take wings to Jakarta.
After retirement of the likes of Susanthika Jayasinghe, Rohan Pradeep Kumara following the 2006 edition, Sri Lanka had dehydrated its medal tally at the Asian Games as they were without a medal in the 2010 edition and in 2014 it was only Cricket that produced them two medals.
Sri Lanka will be eyeing to add their name in the medals tally this time around and even though they are sending their biggest contingent ever, it will be the track athletes and the Commonwealth Games medallists weight lifters, who will be the focus of success.
