Sri Lanka’s participation at the 25th edition of the World University Games (WUG) in Serbia, this year, gave the islanders enough hints as to how undergraduates could work towards winning medals at international competition.

Senerath Alwis, who accompanied the Sri Lankan contingent as chef-de-mission, told ‘Sunday Island – Sportstar’ that the WUG exposed that the focus of the undergraduates from Sri Lanka was more towards studies and not on sport. "One can’t blame our athletes because they are encountering a situation where they can’t afford to neglect their studies. So naturally the time available for training has been very little compared to how athletes from other countries have trained for the games," he said.

Alwis said that the WUG were second only to the Olympics in terms of the number of participants, standard of sports and prestige of the event.

He observed that the chances of winning a medal at the WUG were remote for all athletes from South Asia, just like at the Olympic Games.

Alwis noted that to successfully contest the WUG, athletes should have the services of a doctor, a psychologist, a masseur, a video analyst, a coach, a trainer, a dietician, a statistician and a helper. That’s a team by itself and as Alwis explained even the role of the helper, who sees to the laundry of the players and their baggage, contributes a large share to have a successful tour.

Sri Lanka was represented by 15 undergrads at the games which were held from July 1-10 in Belgrade, Serbia. They were picked by the Sri Lanka University Sports Association which comprises 14 universities. According to the feedback the undergrads gave Alwis, after the WUG, they had enjoyed the company of athletes from different parts of the world, who also represented diverse cultures and religions. He said that he had told the Sri Lankan athletes to foster lasting relationships with other athletes which he said was fitting when one gives thought to the theme under which the games were held, ‘Unity for sports’.

He frowned at old timers who often boast that when they were undergrads they were successful in managing both their studies and sports. "This is an era where both studies and sports are highly competitive and these old timers shouldn’t make the mistake of comparing the two eras which differ so hugely. To begin with these people who criticize the sporting achievements of the present undergrads must understand that the entry qualifications for the university have been raised a lot, unlike in their days. As a result, this brings into the university as undergrads more academics and not national level athletes. I suggest that the universities should take in more students who have the minimum requirement to qualify as undergraduates but the maximum qualification as sportsmen and women. This is the only way to raise the standard of sports at the universities," said Alwis who functions as a Senior Physical Education Instructor at the University of Colombo.

He highlighted and praised the achievements of national cricketer Jehan Mubarak for obtaining a Second Upper at the BSC Examination. Mubarak managed to complete his higher studies which managing a successful career as a national cricketer. "I can say that other undergrads have achieved substantial successes in sports and studies, given the fact that they had no option but to give priority to studies over sport," explained Alwis.

He also stressed that the degree that foreign athletes prepare for was sports related and said, "This is quite an advantage for the foreign athletes at the WUG because our athletes can only view sports as an extracurricular activity".

Alwis has travelled round the world as a sports official and also had a stint as the Bangladesh national cricket coach. He said that athletes had to be provided with medical attention, scientific training, sports education and job security if the authorities desired the best results from them in the sporting field.

Experts in sports are of the view that undergraduates are the best bet for sporting success given the fact that that they have a high IQ and can absorb fully what the coaches expected of them during training. Hence the undergraduates who come under the tutelage of Alwis, in sport, can be compared to sleeping giants who need to be awakened. But this thinking could be applicable only if the right atmosphere is provided to the undergraduates to take sport seriously.