SL Boxing coaches abandon boxer and ringside duties hours before bout
Sri Lanka’s last remaining boxing medal hopeful Niraj Wijewardena competing in the Round of 16 (pre-quarter final), lost his 71 kg bout to his Taipei opponent on points (5/0), after going the full distance, as both Sri Lankan boxing coaches on tour refused to assist the boxer by the ringside during his fight.
The Sri Lankan pugilist even though losing his bout was commendable in taking the Taipei boxer Kan Chia Wei, a multiple gold medal winning international winner the full distance. Kan Chi Wei most recently won a gold medal competing at 81kg at the last month held Taipei ‘City Cup’ international boxing meet, where Wijewardena himself won a bronze medal and earlier in November 2022 won another gold medal at the World Boxing Tour Golden Belt Series in Guadalajara, Mexico.
However, in a rather bizarre twist of events and with barely nine hours to go for the fight, Nishantha Piyasena the Chef De Mission on tour, rang up boxer Niraj Wijewardena in the early hours of the morning and summoned to inform him that the two Sri Lankan boxing coaches on tour will not be assisting him during his bout later in the day.
It is yet unclear as to why the two national boxing coaches Harsha Kumara and Sampath Jayatilleka refused to fulfill this task when requested to do so by the Chef De Mission Piyasena, especially after the other Sri Lankan boxer Rukmal Prasanna had already lost his bout three days earlier.
However, according to a reliable source on tour, it could be stated that boxing coach Sampath Jayatilleke had informed boxer Niraj Wijewardena two days prior to his bout that they were all caught up in an awkward situation and unable to help him, as much as they would love to do so. This is as he had been sent to the Asian Games 2023 by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and not the Sri Lanka Boxing Association.
The Chef de Mission instructed boxer Wijewardena to then submit a handwritten letter requesting him to source a coach from another country in order to assist him during the fight.
Eventually an Indian boxing coach at the Asian Games and Chef De Mission Piyasena himself stepped forward to assist Wijewardena at the ringside during his bout along with French Cut Woman Marie Pierre.
Boxer Wijewardena’s participation was made possible through the intervention of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, who obtained special approval from the Ministry of Sports of Sri Lanka for the boxer to compete at the Asian Games. The other sole boxer sent to the Asian Games by the Sri Lanka Boxing Association was Rukmal Prasanna who competed and lost his first 57 kg bout in the round of 32.
Boxer Wijewardena speaking to The Daily Morning Sports after his bout from Hangzhou China said “I wish to thank the Minister of Sports Roshan Ranasinghe, the NOCSL, the Chef De Mission Mr. Piyasena, the Sri Lankan medical doctor on tour, the Indian boxing coach, Marie Pierre (cut woman) from France and everyone who helped make it possible for me to compete at the Asian Games today. It was a good fight and Kan Chi Wei is a superb fighter who appeared to have come well prepared
for the Asian Games. As for me, I wish I had that extra support in the form of a quality coach to have assisted me further. I gave it my all to help Sri Lanka win a medal and even though I lost, I am glad the fight went the full distance.”
President Suresh Subramaniam of the NOCSL speaking to The Daily Morning Sports said “We are proud of Niraj Wijewardena who is a very talented boxer and we are glad that he was able to represent the country. It was a commendable fight irrespective of the result. A win or a loss is part and parcel of the sport. We hope that this experience gained will stand in good stead when he competes at his next event. As I am currently in Sri Lanka, it was heartening to be told by many members of the international boxing community at the Asian Games, that Wijewardena is a bright prospect and that he has all the skills and potential to win many boxing accolades in the future for his country.”
