Sports medicine cannot exist anywhere in the world without physiotherapy and this is exactly what is lacking in Sri Lanka. Quite recently, I was talking to a group of physiotherapists in Colombo and discovered that they had followed just a two-year course. This is no good. Some time back, I went to Sydney University in Australia and asked them whether they could teach our (Sri Lankan) boys and girls physiotherapy. They sent two consultants from Sydney - this was about two years back, and they had a feasibility study.
A five-year proposal for lecturers from Sydney University to visit Sri Lanka on a continuance basis (at no cost to Sri Lanka, except for accommodation) on Aus. Aid. So far, nothing has happened on this matter and I have had discussions with the Minister of Sports. Physiotherapists are not duds - I cannot practise without one of them. Why cannot the authorities in Sri Lanka accept this proposal from the Sydney University and have properly qualified and trained physiotherapists in this country?
This was one of the many candid statements made by Dr. Siri Kannangara, who was in Sri Lanka on one of his many visits. He is the head of two departments in a teaching hospital in Sydney, which has been appointed as the hospital for the 2000 Olympic Games. Having left the shores of Sri Lanka 29 years ago, Dr. Kannangara, is at the very top in Sports Medicine in Australia and has been accepted well. He is married with three children, who are all attending university.
Dr. Kannangara has been involved and attended to Sri Lanka's cricketers for over two decades. Whenever the Sri Lanka cricket team tours Australia, he arranges for them to be looked after medically in various states. He said: ``I attended on Arjuna Ranatunga many years back. When Chaminda Vaas had a stress fracture in his back, three doctors in Sri Lanka had said that he (Vaas) cannot play for 12 months. But Ana Punchihewa who was then the president of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, contacted me and asked whether I could help Vaas. Manjula Munasinghe too had problems at that time. I got both of them into my hospital and put them through a five hour program. Many other doctors helped these two cricketers and within three weeks and four days, I got Vaas bowling again after winning his confidence. He broke down later at a different level and wanted me to treat him as he has a lot of faith in me. He is ever grateful.''
Dr. Kannangara further said that he has been heavily involved with Sri Lanka cricket over the last two years and that the entire team that did not go to Malaysia for the Commonwealth Games in October saw him virtually every day, and even now (on his last visit to Sri Lanka), he had seen Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Nuwan Soysa, Vaas and Muralitharan. He said: ``They want me to be with them when they tour England for the World Cup next year (1999), but I find it difficult to do that for over two months because of my practice. They have a lot of faith and confidence in me. I am thinking of this offer very seriously. I come about three or four times a year to Sri Lanka.
Dr. Kannangara also said that he loves to get involved in sports in Sri Lanka as a consultant as its just impossible for him to do otherwise due to his practice in Sydney. He says that he feels duty bound to give back what he has received. He said that he was in Sri Lanka about two months back to teach a group of doctors for three days and on his last visit last month (November) he taught a group of 60 doctors on Sports Medicine for two days.
Kountouri superb
On physiotherapists, Dr. Kannangara, said that Greek born Australian, Alex Kountouri who is attached to the Sri Lanka cricket team, is a superb physio who has blended very nicely with the Sri Lankans. He said: ``Without Alex, the Sri Lanka cricket team will be lost. He has done a lot for the team. Arjuna Ranatunga himself gets instructions from Kountouri and no one else. You must get the locals involved in Sports Medicine. Dr. Lalith Ratnayake should do well soon with a little bit more of experience. He is in Sydney for two years for his Masters Degree. However, if my services are required, I will certainly do so, but always as a consultant. The Minister of Sports rings me up every now and then. I even helped the Sri Lanka Netball team when they were in Australia recently before the Commonwealth Games.''
Dr. Kannangara hails from a village in Bandaragama and was fortunate to study at Royal College and is very grateful to his parents. He played two or three sports at Royal, but at the Colombo University, captained the Combined University team at hockey and also played table tennis and basketball coached by major General (Dr.) C. Thurairajah. He said: ``I always wanted to do Sports Medicine from a very early age. When I qualified as a doctor in 1971, I got a place in New Zealand at a teaching hospital at Christ church. This was just three weeks after my marriage. I blended in nicely as the New Zealanders too are sports mad. I did my specialists examinations within four years after getting a basic degree. Then I met a All-Black player, Dr. Barry, who was a physician at the Mecca of medicine - Guys Hospital in London. He gave me a job as senior registrar. I got an open scholarship to New Zealand where I did my physicians training combined with Sports Medicine.
Dr. Kannangara further said: ``When I was returning to New Zealand, I stopped at Sydney to attend a conference and one of the senior physicians who was also into Sports Medicine, who has been to six Olympic games as physician to Australian contingents, persuaded me to stay back in Sydney because of my training at guys Hospital and I joined him as an equal. In October 1977, I was appointed as a doctor to Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket involving Australia and West Indies sides. I loved every bit of it, particularly meeting my childhood heroes. I am yet the doctor to the Australian soccer side as a senior medical commissioner to the panel and travel a lot with them.''
Dr. Kannangara has been to the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympic Games as physician to the Australian contingents too, besides being appointed by FIFA (the world governing body of soccer) as an expert on medical matters visiting Asian and Oceanea countries teaching them various aspects of Sports Medicine.