The election had been delayed mainly due to issues with the NOC constitution and delays in its audit reports. Those have now been addressed. Hemasiri Fernando has been the NOC president since 1997 and he hands over reigns tomorrow to new officials tomorrow.
At the 2009 election, he was elected uncontested. This time around, two persons are vying for the position – deputy president of the Asian Tennis Association Suresh Subramaniam and NOC’s finance committee chairman Rohan Fernando, also president of the Rowing Sports Club. Both are ex-sportsmen, administrators and strong businessmen.
The officers will be elected tomorrow for a four year term. The 33 sports associations holding membership of the NOC have the voting powers. Heavy propaganda has been taking place by both hopefuls. Fernando’s side has been leveling accusations against secretary Maxwell de Silva. After the auditor general presented all audit reports from 2013, it became evident that things were not that bad.
What is needed in the end is development of the sports. Sports personnel have a place of pride – Olympic House – which they can claim to be of their own. The NOC has secured many privileges, scholarships etc. for them. Those need to be continued. An Olympic medal is the ultimate hope of any sports personnel, as well as the NOC. That will become a reality through a collective effort and much commitment under proper guidance.
Therefore, personal gains and objectives should be set aside and trustworthy and strong persons should be elected to office.
- Ashika Brahmana
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