He was addressing the inauguration of the National Sports Development Program held yesterday at the Temple Trees. It was organized by the Ministry of Sports together with the Ministry of Education.

The Premier added that at present Sri Lanka is popular around the world only for Cricket; therefore it is our aim to produce more and more talented sportsmen and women. Winning the SAARC Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth, and Olympic games is the aim of the government. “This is the first step of that journey.”

“The life of sports begins from school and it is a part of studies. This field should be given recognition and support. Taking part in sports teaches many things; among them are team spirit, obeying the rules and regulations, and most importantly learning to accept victory, and defeat alike.”

He said that most of the small schools come under the purview of the Provincial Education Ministries. Hence, they have a big responsibility to support the talented students for sports and to bring them forward. “It is a prime duty of the government to support the school sports and improve it. Therefore we’ll allocate necessary finances gradually as necessary”, he added.