When the starting pistol went off the crowds roared loudly, cheering the athletes. It was a big game, a great opportunity to be a part of. The sportspersons had trained tirelessly for years to represent their countries and take home medals.
The enthusiasm was loud and clear even from the hospital room where 25-year-old Nadeesha Ramanayaka lay with burning fever. The hospital was situated adjacent to the ground where the games were held. Ramanayaka, who was attached to the Sri Lanka Army as an athlete, later found out that she was infected with dengue fever.
She trained for nearly a decade. It wasn’t easy. She had to leave her home in Weeraketiya and get boarded in Matara for training. When she was selected to compete at the 13th South Asian Games 2019 in Kathmandu, Nepal, the budding athlete was thrilled. Her parents bid her well and asked her to bring Sri Lanka glory. Ramanayaka aimed for three medals.
Her dream was cut short when on December 2, a day before her track event, she fell sick. She suffered an unbearable headache and high fever. The team’s doctor prescribed some medicine but her condition did not improve. The next day, Ramanayaka was in such a condition that she could not even step out of bed and was then rushed to the hospital. As she lay, she heard the loud cheers from the stadium. Her dreams were shattered. She told the Sunday Observer that she was overwhelmed with sadness.
“I trained very hard and finally was selected to represent my country. I even went to Nepal but I then fell sick,” she said.
Ramanayaka was among 14 Sri Lankan sportspersons who fell sick. Seven of them were diagnosed with dengue in Nepal, and only two were able to participate in their respective events. They did not contract the virus in Nepal.
On Monday (9), Minister of Sports Dullas Alahapperuma went to inspect the Sugathadasa Stadium sports complex and Sugathadasa Sports Hotel. The inspection revealed the horrifying state of the premises. Inspectors found mosquito larvae. Hundreds of discarded plastic bottles clogged drainages and canals, garbage was piled up making it a breeding haven for mosquitoes. The South Asian Games sportspersons spent at least two weeks at this Sports Hotel before they went to Nepal. Minister Alahapperuma promised to take immediate steps to clean the area.
“But the country didn’t lose anything. Only the hard-working children (sportspersons) lost,” said W. G. M. Thushara who coached Ramanayaka since 2008. By the end of the 10-days long South Asian Games, Sri Lanka had secured 251 medals including 40 gold, and earned the third place coming behind India (312 medals with 174 gold medals) and Nepal (206 medals including 51 gold). It was a new record for the island as it was the first time in nearly three decades that it secured 15 golds in a similar event.
President of the Athletics Association Retired Major General Palitha Fernando said the athletes and sports competitors have made Sri Lanka proud. He also regretted that the staff at the Sugathadasa Stadium failed to do their job properly. “It doesn’t cost anything to clean the place. They could have kept the place clean,” he said.Mosquitoes were one thing the competitors and their coaches remembered really well from their stay at the Sugathadasa Sports Hotel. Athletes’ chief coach Y. K. Kularathna only stayed at the hotel for two days. He then stayed in Maharagama for the rest of the training period.
“I just couldn’t stay longer. The mosquitoes were all over the place. They were in our rooms and outdoors where we trained,” Kularathna said.
He warned the athletes about them. Some bought mosquito nets. Ramanayaka did not have the luxury.
She was in her best form before she fell sick. Her best record was 53.02 seconds at the 400m track event. Her coach Thushara was training her to reach 52 seconds.
After his athlete fell sick, Thushara wanted to give up coaching. He was disappointed. But for Ramanayaka’s sake, he decided not to. He has given her a couple of months to rest and then recommence training. The next South Asian Games will take place in 2021.
“Nobody cares about these athletes. They train under severe economic hardships. When something like this happens it is unbearable,” the coach said. Not everyone believes that the competitors fell sick due to a serious lapse by the concerned authorities.
National selector and former Chairman of the National Sports Council Dr. Maiya Gunasekara said it was an ‘unfortunate event’. “The Ministry of Sports has done as much as it can. I do not think the ministry can do anymore,” he said.
Dr. Gunasekara added that this was the first time such an incident took place in Sri Lanka. He said the event has also cost the country.
However, lecturer in Sports Studies at the University of Colombo Dr. Samantha Nanayakkara said sportspersons should not be treated badly because they are an asset to the country.Last month, sportspersons who competed at para games organized by the Social Services Department were made to sleep in a stinking school classrooms with rotting garbage in one corner and rain water flowing across the room.
“The country needs proper procedures to look after our sportspersons, especially their health, and not just provide food and lodging,” Dr. Nanayakkara appointed out.
She added that she was grateful for the competitors for bringing home many medals despite the bad experience they underwent. “For that they deserve another award,” she said.
The Team Doctor of Sri Lanka Contingent Dr. Lal Ekanayake returned to the country last morning with a dengue infected athlete.
“All of them are discharged from hospitals. But authorities have to make sure something like this does not happen again,” Dr. Ekanayake said.
Ramanayaka is gradually recovering from dengue and the intense sadness the incident has brought her and her family. All she can think about is that, if she continued to train in Matara and didn’t come to Colombo, she would have probably won her medals.