Case Studies
Ian Barton's inspection visit to Sri Lanka
The Brief:
After an absence of 19 years, I re-visited Sri Lanka in the summer of 2006 to ascertain the country as a sports tour destination, with a particular emphasis on cricket, and to review the current political situation.
The Solution:
I visited many hotels in a bid to seek out some additional options for accommodation for the groups we send to Sri Lanka, and was delighted to report that I found no less than 20 that I felt would be suitable in several popular locations around the country.
I also visited several cricket stadia ~ including a couple boasting International status, although one is still under construction ~ and many more school, college and club sporting venues, all of which impressed me a great deal. They all offered excellent facilities for visiting teams, and I was amazed at the progress that has been made with regard to sports venues since my last visit.
There is plenty to see and excursions to take in your free time. The Temple of the Lost Tooth in Kandy, the elephant orphanage at Pinnawella, the Rock Fortress at Sigariya and the UNESCO city of Galle amongst them. For more details on what to do, see the separate report within the Destination section of this website.
The Result:
I was thoroughly impressed with the place and left full of enthusiasm ~ if only they could sort out their political differences! As a sporting destination, I think Sri Lanka is superb and offers a whole lot more than just the sport.
Cricket is obviously the number one sport and the schools are all well set up for that. Kids will get to play in Test arenas and be looked after like kings. For that reason alone, it is worth it!
Rugby has a huge following and some club matches get bigger crowds than the local state cricket matches and certainly some test matches. Although the standard is not great, you could be sure that the welcome would be immense.
For Hockey fixtures, there are two astroturf pitches in the country ~ Colombo and Matale, 45 minutes from Kandy. They have just hosted the South Asia Games and play at a decent standard, and are desperate for boys opposition.
The local netball teams try hard to be an even opposition but with European kids of the same age being that much bigger physically (a big deal in netball!), they struggle somewhat. The pitch surfaces are varied to say the least, but if teachers go with their eyes wide open, they should enjoy themselves.
Ian Barton
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