A 18-member Sri Lanka Hockey team including five new players have been selected to take part in the Asian Games qualifying Hockey tournament which will be held from May 5-15 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ten players from Matale District, five players from Chilaw District and one player each from Colombo, Galle, and Matara have been included in the 18- member team which is approved by the Sports Ministry.
The promising strikers Bodhika Rajapaksa (former Nalanda College), Lakshan Sandaruwan(former St. Aloysius Galle), Bathiya de Alwis (former St. Joseph Vaz Wennapuwa), Chathuranga Chandrasena and Sameera Weerasooriya (former Christ Church Matale) are the new players in this team while experienced midfielder Irosh Gunawardena from Air Force and Tharindu Hendeniya the Goal Keeper from Sri Lanka Army have been named as captain and the vice captain.
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan will take part in this qualifying tournament from which six countries out of nine will qualify for the Asian Games which is scheduled to be held in Hangzhou China from September 10 to 25.
Sri Lanka has a good chance to enter the Asian Games once again while Bangladesh and Oman are the top favourites to win this qualifying tournament and Sri Lanka is already among the top four teams in this qualifying tournament said former National coach Anuruddha Herath Bandara who was the coach at the last Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. India, Pakistan, Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia have already got direct qualification according to their rankings for the next Asian Games while six more countries will be selected from the qualifying tournament, and altogether 12 teams will battle it out at the next Asian Games in China. National coach Anuruddha Herath Bandara is one of the best products of Christ Church Matale who is also very keen to promote this sport. He is the present Secretary of the Schools Hockey Federation.
Sri Lanka got a chance to qualify for the Asian Games in 1978 and after 38 years time once again Sri Lanka qualified to play Asian Games in 2014. Both in 2014 and 2016 Sri Lanka finished in third place at the Asian Games qualifying tournament while this time once again we have a good chance to enter the Asian Games. Last time in 2018 Sri Lanka finished eighth at the Asian Games out of 12 countries while Japan and Malaysia emerged champions and runners-up. Sri Lanka performed really well defeating more fancied Hong Kong and host Indonesia and this was the best achievement at the Asian Games said Anuruddha Herath Bandara.
Sri Lanka Hockey is presently under training with Korean coach and Pulasthi Lanerolle at the Astro Turf in Reid Avenue, Colombo to focus on the Asian Games qualifying tournament and Sri Lanka Hockey Federation headed by SSP Kamal Pushpakumara is working hard to give all facilities for the players.
Sri Lanka Hockey team for the Asian Games qualifying tournament:
Irosh Gunawardena (Capt), Tharindu Hendeniya (V. Capt), Dhammika Prabath Ranasinghe, Rajitha Dilan Kulathunga, Anuradha Suresh, Kusal Heshan Thilakasiri, Chaturanga Chandrasena, Sandaruwan Priyalanka, Damian Nalantha de Silva, Shaminda Costa, Sheran Nimanka Fernando, Chamalka Rukshan Fernando, Promod Udayashan Fernando, Vipulm Dhanushka Fernando, Bhathiya de Alwis, Lakshan Sandaruwan, Bodhika Dias, Sameera Weerasooriya.
Friday, April 29, 2022 – 01:00