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Yesterday was a red letter day for Sri Lanka cricket when Sports Minister S.B. Dissanayake opened a high-tech gymnasium at the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL).

This type of gymnasium was a necessity for our cricketers if they were to face the oncoming challenges of international cricket. The Rs. 10 million gym was named after the Sri Lanka team physio Alex Kontouri and called 'Gym Kontouri'.

``As the physio therapist of the national team Alex's services to Sri Lanka cricket has been legendary. This gym is a tribute to his dedication, commitment and loyalty,'' said BCCSL chief executive Dammika Ranatunga in his welcome speech.

BCCSL president Thilanga Sumathipala said that a gym of this nature which was long overdue had now become a reality.

``We all know the yeoman service rendered by our physio. As you are all aware that from the time we started making an impact in world cricket it was Alex who was behind the real fitness which enhanced our national team. Therefore the Cricket Board decided to name this important place after him,'' said Sumathipala.

The BCCSL president said this high tech gym was made possible from the money the national cricketers had earned through their reputation as world one-day champions.

He disclosed the BCCSL had been spending as much as Rs. 700,000 a year to obtain gym facilities from outside and that too for the national squad of only 20 players. But with the opening of this gym, Sumathipala said the BCCSL would not only be able to cater to a much wider audience, but also make a substantial profit from it after recovering the cost spent in setting it up.

``You can accommodate easily around 200 cricketers in the gym, which means we are talking in the range of some Rs. 2 to 2 1/2 million worth of membership. This will justify our investment within 2 1/2 to 3 years,'' said Sumathipala.

``On the other side, we will have our privacy. If the boys are injured we can look after them with a lot of personal attention. We have a medicine unit with half a million rupees worth of medicine stocked here,'' he said.

All the equipment for the gym have come from USA and they were recommended by experts like Kontouri.

``I am shocked and proud the gym has been named after me. I am really honoured with the kind words and thoughts that has been said of me,'' said Kontouri, who will be in charge of this unit.

``The initiative taken by the BCCSL to invest in this gymnasium really shows the attitude towards fitness and health in this country are on the right track,'' said Kontouri.

``By taking this step the BCCSL has shown to the community and to other sporting bodies the importance of improving fitness should not be overlooked. When I first started working with the national team 3 1/2 years ago, my goal was to instil an attitude of improved fitness and health in the players that I worked with.

``I am proud to say the players we have now are able to look after themselves on their own. They have the knowledge and attitude to partake in fitness programs,'' said Kontouri.

Sumathipala also thanked Nigel Kern, a Sri Lankan resident in the UK for donating a gym which the BCCSL had used for the past ten years. ``If not for him we wouldn't have been anywhere,'' said Sumathipala. He also thanked BCCSL member Shammi Silva who was the project manager and said that he was quite happy to accommodate national level athletes whom the Sports Ministry recognises to use the gym which is the most sophisticated in the country.