- Van Heer sad she had to leave Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan-born Australian Gold Medalist Tania Van Heer revealed that she almost withdrew from the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, where she eventually won multiple medals, including Gold.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror in Adelaide, Van Heer recalled that her position in the Australian team for the 1998 Commonwealth Games was challenged by Aboriginal Australian athlete Nova Maree Peris.

Peris took the issue to court causing disharmony in the Australian team and drawing wide media coverage. 

Van Heer said the incident prevented the team from focusing on their training and matters on the field. 

“I actually told the team management I want to go home. I said I had enough. I want to go home,” she said in an interview on the program ‘The Sri Lankan Story’. 

Van Heer said that while she had the support of the team and the team management, she was concerned about the negative impact the issue was having on the rest of the team. 

“I wasn’t happy. I was home sick,” she said. 

However, the team management told her that if she withdraws then Australia will not have a 4x100 relay team or a 4X400 relay team for the games and it will result in a forfeit by Australia. 

The court of arbitration had later ruled in favour of Van Heer and she took part in the games and brought glory to Australia and also made Sri Lanka proud. 

Van Heer said that she was sad to have left Sri Lanka after the 1983 racial riots and continues to maintain a strong relationship with her home country. 

She is also happy with what she was able to achieve in Australia as an athlete and hopes she can give back to both Australia and Sri Lanka. (Easwaran Rutnam in Adelaide)

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