Hangzhou Challenge; We Are Serious About It - CDM Nishanthe Piyasena
Updated Date: 29th May, 2023
Unarguably, China was, is, and will be a great nation on earth. Throughout history, the route to China has been legendary and many other nations have lived, prospered and died while looking for the upmarket stuff that were traded along the silk route. At the same time, arguably the only man-made monument seen from space – the Great Wall of China, is a place that needs no other introduction.
Today, China remains in the forefront in every sphere of activity and there is no need to reiterate that sport is one of the packaged items in that deal.
“Hangzhou 2022” - the XIX Asian Games shouts out loud their motto – “Heart to Heart, @Future”. So, like the past, China also is more than conscious about their tomorrow.
It is with this mind Nishanthe Indunil Piyasena – the President of the Modern Pentathlon, is taking up the challenge of leading the Lankan contingent as the Chef-de-Mission to the Hangzhou Games from 23 September to 8 October 2023.
The task at hand for the Lankan contingent is unforgiving. Since 2006, when Susathika Jayasinghe made her swan song at the Games, winning a silver and Bronze, and a men’s 4x400 team won a bronze in Doha, the athletic medal basket has been empty.
The former Mahinda College cricketer, who later became the cycling sports expert, explained to GoodSport his task at hand and how he plans to accomplish his unenvious task. He said, “In spite of all adversaries and developments around us at home, we are on the job striving to make the Sri Lankan brand reemerge. We are very mindful that we are short of funds, and the task at hand is humungous, yet we are looking to work with all local conglomerates to come out with a helping hand at making this arduous task a possibility. So far, the National Olympic Committee, under its President and the Secretary General, have taken some positive steps to achieve its objectives.
“It is with this mind I hope to give a message to all athletes who will be a part of the Lankan contingent, to take this chance as an opportunity. The same responsibility has to go to the officials who are a part of this, along with the respective coaches - that the Lankan authorities mean business this time.”
Explaining further, the CDM designate said, “There are around three months left before reaching the games village. The athletes will have to work with the statisticians, work on a tight timeline, work backwards from the opening day of the Games to now and develop ways on reaching their peak by the time they arrive at the games village. The responsibility of this task also goes to the respective Federations. They must be mindful that the athletes are at mint condition at all times.”
Speaking of handling the athletes, Piyasena said, “Handling athletes mostly will be the task of the managers, the coaches and the other allied officials who are selected to be a part of the contingent. My task is to keep a tab of the proceedings, but still, we have a separate system to keep an eye on their behaviour and how they obey the rules at ground level. Especially in China, they have announced that they have laid some strict rules for the games. This does not mean arresting anyone, but things should happen by the laid down laws of the Chinese government. They are very clear where driving, doping and the usage of alcohol is concerned - the Games authorities will be keeping a close watch on the above. One particular aspect they are very sensitive about is decamping - they will be very strict on that.”
Describing the overall task at hand, he said, “Overall, it is going to be a serious task, where there would be a contingent of more than one hundred personnel which includes approximately 80 athletes taking part in around twenty-one disciplines. Of course, with Gender Balance being a prime factor. Still, we are not sure what the final count would be, but this could be the nearest yardstick under the present circumstances.
"According to the Estimated Team Size Calculations, that could be a round figure. This is my fourth assignment as the Chef-de-Mission - previously in 2009, the Asian Youth Games, in 2010, I led the contingent at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, and in 2014, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. I will be working with a very vibrant team and we hope to make this Games a very memorable one."
