Ex-Combatants To Be Groomed For National Sports

By Maryam Azwer

One hundred and thirty five former LTTE combatants, currently undergoing rehabilitation, were brought to Colombo last week, to be tested by national selectors for various sports.
Commissioner General for Rehabilitation, Brigadier Dharshana Hettiarachchi, said that these rehabilitation beneficiaries had revealed an interest and talent in different sports, so they were tried out to “ascertain whether they have the potential to be groomed up to national level.”
Among the sports they tried out for are cricket, swimming, kabadi, firing, chess, karate, basketball and volleyball, said Brigadier Hettiarachchi.
He said that although a final list of those who had been selected has not been released yet, at least fifteen to twenty ex-combatants are expected to be chosen by the national selectors.
“The sports minister took a keen interest in this. He was physically present at all the places where they were assessed, and spoke to them personally,” said Brigadier Hettiarachchi.
The ex-combatants were taken to the Sports Ministry, the Sugathadasa Stadium, the Keththarama Cricket Stadium, and the Welisara Navy camp to be assessed for different sports, he said.