by Champika Fernando
Dervin Perera, Deputy Director of Sports and national athletic coach will make an official visit to Thailand and Malaysia to inspect the progress of training of Sri Lankan athletes at the end of this month.

A team of 16 athletes were sent to Malaysia while another 12 athletes were sent to Bangkok with their personnel coaches for residential training last month due to the lack of a proper track to train in Sri Lanka.

Perera who has serves as national coach since 1994 told "The Island" that though he has no direct contact with the athletes and the officials training in those two nations he was awares of all what’s happening.

" I have been co-ordinating with the officials and the players and for the moment things are quite well," said Perera.

He said that he intended to visit both Thailand and Malaysia in late May to see the progress of the athletes’ training.

He further said that both sets of athletes are expected to fly back to Sri Lanka on June 30th prior to the final selection trails which is expected to be held in July 15th at the Sugathadasa Stadium if the track is renovated on time. The Sugathadasa Stadium track is being renovated at present as the AAA has made it the venue for the forthcoming Asian Championships, scheduled to be held this year.

"The removing of the layer has been completed and contractors are waiting for the materials from their Australian principal to re-lay the track. Hopefully we can have the finals trials at the Sugathadasa track," Perera further said.

The ahtletes abroad, numbering as many as 28, will miss the first and second selection trials but are expected to take part in the finals trials.

When asked whether he was purposely overlooked by the Amateur Athletic Association in appointing coaches for both these foreign training programs (AAA) he said " I don’t think so. I have other commitments like organising the Asian Track and field Championship and also to co-ordinate the other local coaches who train other local athletes in the counrty,".

Meanwhile the selection committee of the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) has selected a team of 14 athletes to represent the country at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games to be held in Manchester, in July.

The team comprises of Olympic bronze medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe, Commonwealth silver medalist Sriyani Kulawansa, Asian double gold medalist Damayanthi Darsha , Asian gold medalists Sugath Tilakaratne, Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Ranga Wimalawansa, Sumedha Arunashantha, Prasanna Amarasekera Pradeepa Herath, Shashikala Nimmi de Soysa, Anoma Suriyaarachchi and N.S.B Aludeniya and hurdler Harijan Ratnayake.

However Sri Lanka’s Olympic heroine Jayasinghe, who sometime back claimed that she would quit one of her pet events, 100M, to try her chances at the 400 meter dash, has however commited herself to take part in the 100 meter event at the Commonwealth Games.

Ranga, Rohan and Sumedha Arunashantha who were suspended in taking part in any national or international event following their controversial misconduct at the last World Championship in Edmonton in August 2001, will once again appear in the international sporting arena in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games to be held in Manchester.