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Friday, 1 November 2013 04:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
and the Hannibal Walk in the Alps, Botham has scheduled an eight-day walk in Sri Lanka taking him from Kilinochchi in the north to Seenigama in the south.
Scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. this morning, Botham told the media yesterday that the walk will be a new challenge for him and his team as they brave the mass heat and humidity. “Staying hydrated will be our main concern.”
Having picked Sri Lanka for his next walk as a consequence of a journalist’s question on why he hasn’t opted to walk in Sri Lanka, the funds raised will be directed towards building a sports facility for the north, in Manukulam.
Healing through sports
The facility will be the result of Laureus working together with the Foundation of Goodness. A similar facility was set up in Seenigama (Seenigama Sports Academy) after the Tsunami, by the two institutes and is now a successful venture empowering youth to strive ahead through sports.
“When I came down to Sri Lanka following the tsunami catastrophe representing Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, all I saw was devastation. I was taken around by the Foundation of Goodness Founder and Trustee Kushil Gunasekera and certain images I saw then will be with me for the rest of my life,” Botham said.
Adamant to help, Laureus and the Foundation of Goodness set about raising funds and with the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and other cricketers, managed to put up a state-of-the-art village in Seenigama.
At the Academy, the youth in the area are able to learn and engage in a host of sports from swimming to volleyball, netball, badminton, etc. Canad
ian pop star Bryan Adams donated the Bryan Adams Swimming Pool Complex at the premises.
“It was hugely successful,” Botham added.
“What we want to do is mirror what we have done in the south in the north. We are not political. It is purely and simply to give the chance to people who has never had the opportunity.”
Resilience and progress
Botham added: “After the tsunami I spoke to a lady who said she couldn’t hold the hands of both her children so she had to make a choice and let go of one. There was mass devastation. But look at the progress and the resilience of people of Sri Lanka to go through that and still be the same as they always have been, warm and friendly.
“It is one of the best places I have ever been to. I thoroughly enjoy it. I love the people here and it is nice to give something back.”
Speaking at the event Foundation of Goodness Founder and Trustee Kushil Gunasekera noted that the foundation was established in 1999 to serve the less fortunate and disadvantaged people, and to bridge a gap that exists between the urban and the rural communities while improving standards.
“With the tsunami we managed to harness the waves of compassion to overpower the waves of destruction and today we are a very unique holistic village model,” Gunasekera said. “We are grateful to Sir Ian who came just after the tsunami. Since then, for the past nine years we have been working with Laureus to empower the people.”
A number of kids receiving training at the Seenigama Academy has come up to national standards and have represented the country in fields such as cricket and triathlons.
Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan will join Botham on his walk. Speaking on the potential of Sri Lanka as a cricketing nation he noted that the future is bright with many young players taking up the sport.
“Since 1996 when we won the World Cup, our team has grown from strength to strength. We are one of the top playing cricketing nations considering our performance in the last four world cups, even though unfortunately couldn’t win. As a small cricketing nation we are very proud.”
He added that taking the sport to the north is key in ensuring the longevity of the sport.
“We are putting up 60 cement wickets in each school in the north and east. Last year we launched the Murali Cup and seven teams from the north and seven from the south (U19) took part in it.”
Even though the northern team did not win, seven players from the north and seven from the south were picked and sent for a tournament in Singapore. “Two of the boys almost qualified for the U19 team as well,” he added. “With this endeavour, we hope to see cricketers from the north being part of our national team in ten years or so.”
