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The sorry state of Sugathadasa Sports Complex

by Rex Clementine
The Sugathadasa Sports Complex, the brain child of late president Ranasinghe Premadasa, is in a sorry state today. In 1991, the complex was completed with the building of the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium for the SAF Games in Colombo. And thus the country could boast of it’s only internationally acclaimed sports complex. But it’s in a sorry state today due to the negligence and short sightedness of the incompetent authorities.

The maladies of the complex are many. Firstly it has not been properly maintained. Then the stadium has been misused, not by anyone else, by the top authorities themselves. Proper protocol has not been followed in hiring out the complex and it could be observed that as a result of these a national treasure has been crumbling.

The Sugathadasa Sports Complex merely exists. In a few years time, if it continues to be neglected, sports in the country is bound to be hit very badly. It is alleged that the electricity bill of the Sugathadasa Stadium had not been paid for a considerable time and that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) was trying to disconnect the supply of power. It’s the same with the water bills.

Why can’t the complex make the payment of its bills on time? Why can’t the complex pay overtime to its employees?. Why can’t the complex be properly maintained? A further study on the matter made some interesting revelations. It’s said that the complex needs 60 million rupees as expenditure for a year. But the treasury releases only 20 million rupees and the rest has to be found by the complex.

Despite the complex increasing the charges on renting out the premises for various activities, it can hardly think of raising the funds needed for its smooth running. Those who have a big say in the complex, like the Minister of Sports and the Chairman of the complex are largely responsible for the sorry state it’s in today. It could be observed that although the complex has set prices for renting out the premises, on the orders of the minister or the chairman, these can be given for nominal rates or even free. Well ......it’s one thing to give out the premises to sports bodies for their activities on concessionary rates, but it’s another thing to give out the premises on nominal rates for musical and other entertainment activities, which in fact bring huge amount of income to the organizers.

A place which had about 60 employees sometime back only has about 15-20 right now and they hardly can look into the increasing demands. Initially the complex got labourers and employees from various governmental organizations. The Municipality provided them with the labourers, so were the Water Board and Urban Development Authority and State Engineering Corporation and those employees’ salaries were paid by the respective governmental organizations and the complex was free of all these burdens.

In 1999, the Sports Complex was turned into an authority and was named Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority. The thinking was to make it a profit making body. Trying hard to fathom the thinking here. Generally, the purpose of a complex such as this should be to be a service to the nation, it’s sports associations and sportsmen and not to maximize profits.

At present four stadiums come under the purview of the Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority. Other than the Sugathadasa Indoor and Outdoor stadiums, the R. Premadasa Stadium and the Bogambara Stadium in Kandy come into account and it’s the same scenario at all these places. The Sugathadasa Sports Hotel which brought in a lot of revenue too has ceased to function properly and has added to the pains of the complex. At the moment, the revenue gained from the Sports Hotel is a pittance compared to the revenues it gained when it was in full flow.

Although profit making was expected from the complex, no profit has been generated and it has remained a burden. The higher ups seem to be making use of the loop holes to fatten their pockets. Even if we become optimistic and wish that the project would make profits, it would be very unlikely due to the conflict of interests of the higher ups. What actually happens is that the politicians promote their causes to gain political mileage and say "yes" to all the requests which come from their supporters when matters in relation to the complex come into discussion. Thus the conflict of interests have doomed the purpose and has dragged everything into oblivion. If profit making is the object, the man who’s running the show has to be a person who’s got a proven track record and he should be given continuity. But this hardly has been the case and the chairman changes as the Minister of Sports does. Johnston Fernando brought in Krishantha Kapuwatte, Mangala Samaraweera had Nishantha Ranatunga, Lakshman Kiriella put his brother-in-law Tikiri Marambe in charge and S.B. Dissanayake employed Nimal Perera for about one and half years and before that Dr. Kumari Nawaratne. So the heads change when the minister in charge changes, as if this is the minister’s own property. As a result there’s been no continuity due to the fact that policies change continuously.

So instead of men of caliber, the buddies of ministers have run the show in recent times. Although outscries such as these should make those involved in activities of these nature ashamed and give them the message to look at ways and means that would improve the standard, the system and those who govern them have become so corrupt that it doesn’t hurt their conscience any more. All what they are concerned is their personal glories and to fatten their pockets and nothing else. Well the national interests....... What national interests....... They go for a six along with the sports in the country.