Stop cribbing, perform like Indians: Fernando

Doha, Dec 15 (UNI) Sri Lanka Olympic committee chief Hemasiri Fernando has asked his country's sportspersons to stop cribbing and take a cue from their Indian counterparts, who perform under available resources.

He was reacting to a remark made by star sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe that the athletes were ill-treated and even did not have proper track kits to wear at competitions.

Giving the Gold medal winning Indian women's relay team as an example, the President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Sri Lanka said it's not the attire that matters but the one's performance.

''You would have seen that superb performance by the Indian girls in the relay. They did not have expensive track kits. All they had was that India-made top. They wore home-made shorts. But that did not bother them or affect their performance. They ran magnificently well to take the Gold and make their county proud,'' he said.

Fernando said the NOC got expensive track kits from abroad for the athletes for the South Asian Games four months back.

''They are only interested in expensive track kits, not to do their duty to the nation.'' Taking the fastest woman at the Doha Asian Games as an another example, Fernando said, ''It's only the performance and devotion that matter to make a champion sportsman, not the expensive branded track kits.'' ''That girl from Bahrain Ruqaya, Al Ghassara, ran the 100m in a completely covered track kit. Only her face was open in keeping with Islamic customs. But that was not a problem for her. She bagged the 100m Gold medal and 200m Bronze and said that attire was a blessing for her to go great guns,'' he said.

Mr Fernando said there had been a complaint to the NOC on the eleventh hour changing of the women's 4x100m relay team.

''I was told that the relay team was changed at the last minute because Susanthika (Jayasinghe) objected to have another sprinter in the team. We have to look into that. Athletes can't dictate terms to the team management however good they may be performance-wise,'' he said.

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