There are several requests from veteran sportsmen and elders of the city of Kandy to the Municipal Council, , to develop the playgrounds and to bring them back to their former standard. From the day the grounds were formed,they gave a big hand for sports. People who love sports in Kandy are hoping that this will be done.
A look into playgrounds reveals that it was introduced in1938. The first was the Wewelpitiya Playground also known as ‘Rakade’ Ground. Then came the Victoria Drive Playground and the third was Deiyanawela Playground. Getambe Playground is also famous, it is a small ground and it was late Gamini Dissanayake who redeveloped the ground, .
At present, there are24 playgrounds across the city,and many of them need to be upgraded as they have reached the end of their lifespans Kandy also has 45 community centres where indoor sports are played. These sporting venues not only help the very young, but teenagers and adults.
All playgrounds under the Municipal Council are small in size, where no matches can be played. Every playground in recent times has come out with side net wickets for playgrounds staff, who are coaches to conduct their academy. Today name boards are bigger than the ground. The only ground they had for matches was Bogambara and that was taken over by the Sports Ministry in the late 1990’sand the loss of this ground is badly felt. When Bogambara was under the Municipality the ground fee was only a few hundred rupees but today it costs thousands.
There are several sportsmen and sportswomen who started their sports at these playgrounds, which helped them to play for the district and country which helped them in a big way in life.
Today, children need a safe and inspiring playground, whether in their own yard, in a public park or on the grounds.
Playing in playgrounds supports learning, increaseschildren’s concentration, improves their social skills and fosters their creativity in a safe environment.
The Municipal playgrounds and the community centres with indoor sports have helped sportsmen to do well.
Today most of the playgrounds are without power and unwanted activities are taking place. Kandy is home to many schools, some of them are the island’s oldest schools. Out of these schools only a handful of schools have their own playgrounds and the rest use the Municipal Playgrounds.
The Mayor of Kandy, Leader of the Opposition and some of the members shouldi ntroduce new programmes that will boost social integration, increase participation and improve the physical and mental health of Kandy’s sportsmen. This will include funding projects that use sport to bring together people from different backgrounds.
The Mayor believes sport is a powerful tool for social activities. It can support the development of essential life skills, develop confidence and improve self-esteem. It’s a great way to strengthen social integration, helping products of Kandy from all backgrounds to build relationships.
0 comments:
Post a Comment