Olympic-level hockey turfs for Colombo and Matale

By: Susil Premalal

Colombo, Dec. 18 (Daily Mirror) - The Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Harin Fernando, has succeeded in securing two Olympic-level Blue Polytan Astro hockey turfs for Sri Lanka through the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).

The Director General of Sports, Dr. Shemal Fernando, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.

The President of the AHF, Fumio Ogura, signed on behalf of the AHF. The President of the World Hockey Federation (FIH), Dato Tayyab Ikram, graced the occasion.

The ceremonial signing of the MoU took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during the AHF Executive Board Meeting in the presence of all-Asian Exco Members from across Asia, coinciding with the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup being conducted in Malaysia.

The State Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Rohana Dissanayake, graced the occasion on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.

Both the Presidents of Hockey’s World and Asian Federations appreciated the untiring efforts of Minister Fernando as well as the commitment displayed by the state minister, Dissanayake, in finalising and securing the state-of-the-art astroturfs for installation in Colombo and Matale.

The cost of a blue Polytan astro hockey turf is valued at US $500,000 (approx. LKR 163 million).

However, Sri Lanka successfully negotiated to get these turfs for a special discount unit price of US $235,000 (approx. Rs 77 million) through the World and Asian Federations.

The MoU certifies that the AHF will undertake all required measures promptly.

The Ministry of Sports will pay to the AHF account in Tokyo, Japan, in USD within 10 days, and the work on the project, both at the manufacturer’s facility as well as in Sri Lanka, will commence concurrently.

The project will associate education projects such as Coaching Courses, Umpiring Courses, Youth Development Projects and Women Empowerment Projects.

The Ministry of Sports will commit to ensuring prompt completion of both projects in Colombo and Matale with the advice and guidance of FIH, AHF, and POLYTAN.