Hon. Roshan Akmeemana
2026-03-04
Hon. Roshan Akmeemana raised a supplementary question linking sport participation to the national "Country United" anti-drug initiative, arguing that sport should be integrated into everyday life rather than focused solely on elite athlete development. He noted the widespread informal popularity of softball cricket, handball, and "elle," and asked whether the Ministry has plans to establish regular weekend leagues at regional, provincial, and national levels throughout the year to institutionalise grassroots sporting participation.
My second supplementary is of general application. Under the national “Country United” initiative to combat drugs, sport should not just be about producing national athletes; it should be part of everyone’s daily life. Softball cricket, handball and “elle” are immensely popular and often organised privately on evenings and weekends. If the Ministry could organise regular weekend leagues—at regional, provincial and national levels—across the year, it would help make sport a daily habit. Is such a plan under consideration?