COLOMBO : Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena yesterday condemned the Sri Lanka School’s Cricket Association’s act of boycotting the 44th Observer SLT-Mobitel School Cricket Awards ceremony held at the BMICH recently.
Responding to a question by a journalist at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held yesterday at the Government Information Department, Minister Gunawardane said that the Observer SLT – Mobitel School Cricket Awards ceremony is a traditional event organized by the ANCL and SLT Mobitel annually and the winner is selected in a very transparent manner and the sportsmen who were awarded were able to achieve many national and international achievements. Even though a large number of schoolchildren participated in this event, none of the officials representing the Sri Lanka School’s Cricket Association participated in this event.
“The relevant institutions will make the subject minister Susil Premajayantha in this regard and according to my personal view the act of Sri Lanka School’s Cricket Association’s is very unfair,”the Minister said. Minister Gunawardane further said that he also participated in this year’s award ceremony as the Mass Media Minister and cricketer Aravinda de Silva, who was a unique player in the history of Sri Lanka participated as the chief guest. The Minister also stated that it is not reasonable for the school sports authorities not to participate in this kind of award ceremony where school sportsmen are evaluated at great cost without any expectation of profit.(Daily News)
