• An in-depth chat with Mora Sports Council President Nimesh Ranchagoda

Today The Daily Morning Sports focuses on the Sports Council of the University of Moratuwa (UOM). Fondly known as ‘Mora’, the University has showcased its prowess in the sporting arena since its founding in the 1970’s. The Sports Council comprises the captains and vice captains of all the sports teams in the university. Currently there are 40 sports teams in the university consisting of men’s and women’s teams. From the sports council, 6 representatives have been elected to be the executive committee of the sports council for the positions of the president, vice president, secretary, lady representative, junior treasurer and editor. 

“ I believe this year, there is a superb sports council who can lead their teams to victory at the inter university games” was the first reply given to us by Nimesh Ranchagoda, the President of the Council. Here’s an in-depth chat with Nimesh about his life and times in handling Mora Sports Council.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

How does the Sports Council involve student life at the campus and off the campus?

The main purpose of the sports council is to promote the sports in the best spirit and to address the issues that students have related to sports related activities and to ensure that more students actively engage in sports. Communicating sports related problems to the administrative bodies and gaining solutions for existing problems is a major task of the council. So, the sports council can be considered as a bridge that connects the student athletes and the administration. Any student can bring their problems, suggestions related to sports to the sports council. Other than that, this year’s council considers that bringing the sporting community in the university together and increasing the unity of the sporting community to be a major objective, because the inter university championship cannot be won with just a few sports. It requires a collaboration and contribution of all the sports in the university. 

As the President of the Sports Council what do you feel?

The main difference I observe in the university of moratuwa compared to the other universities, is even if the athletes face any problems during the process, they find alternatives to fulfill their requirements. For example, if sports teams lack funds from the university they conduct fundraising events. The sports teams in the university are very dedicated to their sports despite the busy academic calendar. There might be a lack of top level athletes due to not having any sports related degrees in the university, but the hard work and dedication of the teams have kept Moratuwa at a top level even being able to secure the runner up position at Sri Lanka University Games in 2023. They are not only dedicated to their practices. Almost all the sports teams in the university conduct events annually to raise funds for their sports, to strengthen teamwork among the members which also leads to a strong bond in the team as well. It is a great pleasure and a privilege to be the president of this type of a sporting community where student athletes are actively engaged in the sports with a strong bond within their teams.

Where do you gain inspiration from?

The support I have received from my childhood, from my parents has been the biggest inspiration for me. Being a national level athlete, I have seen the top level athletes of my sport from a small age. These top level athletes strongly influenced me. Not only them, but the seniors of the sports teams in the university as well as my school too influenced me a lot. The way they drove teams to victory despite the challenges was a strong inspiration. I would also like to mention about last year’s sports council, who led the University of Moratuwa to become the Runner up in the Sri Lanka University Games 2023 despite the shortcomings they faced. It was truly inspirational. 

For my current role as the president of the sports council, I receive a huge inspiration from university administration including chancellor, vice chancellor, the sports advisory board led by Prof. Narein Perera and the physical education division led by the acting director Luxman Wijesuriya. They are there with me anytime with guidance and help. My sports council too is a huge strength to me, specially the executive board who are very dedicated to their roles. 

How does it feel to study/play and engage with students from all over the island at Mora?

It is quite interesting to engage with students from all over the country who have different backgrounds, different cultures and speak different languages. We get to experience the diversity in the society which grinds us to be able to adapt to any type of social group. We share our cultures and experiences with each other and appreciate those values. Gain knowledge on various subjects. We get to learn from the diverse personalities in the university. Day by day we learn how to tackle different situations by engaging with the diverse community within the university. We gain ideas on the different views that different people look at problems. Being able to associate with a diverse society from all over the country is a privilege. 

As President what are your responsibilities?

The main responsibility that I have is to ensure that students carry out their sporting activities without any hindrance and to take the issues that students have to the administrative bodies. So, representing the sporting community is the main responsibility that I have. Other than that, I consider improving the unity among the sporting community as a priority, because it could improve the overall performance in sports in the university. If one sport can help another sport, and if they can share the limited resources available, the performance too can be improved as a whole. This will also increase the participation of students in sports in the university.

What are the biggest challenges you face as President and as a council when steering a university student group?

Obviously there are a lot of requests and problems that come from sports teams and the student athletes. It is not possible to provide solutions to every problem in the way they want. People have different opinions. Filtering the favorable suggestions and opinions out of all is a big challenge. The majority of these problems that the sporting community has, is due to lack of resources and funds for sports within the university. Another main challenge is to gather the sporting community for new events. As the majority in the society, students too are reluctant to change. Gathering the sporting community for events organized for the first time is a challenging task for the sports council. As for many things, here also the first step is the hardest step.

Where do you see university sports in Sri Lanka? How do you rate it?

With the introduction of degrees related to sports in some of the universities, sports competition in universities have increased a lot. Many national level athletes are now entering universities to pursue these degrees. Hopefully, the competition for sports will develop further in the future. However, due to the high academic stress, there is a tendency that the number of student athletes dropping in the future. Sometimes, students following certain courses are under tremendous pressure, that they don’t have time for extracurricular activities, which will eventually affect the mental and physical health of the youth as well.

As an athlete who has participated in the world university games, I have seen the level of sports in universities of other countries. Majority of the students participating are national level athletes, from sports universities. I believe for sports to improve in a country, athletes should be given proper education as well. Sports universities could be a huge step in improving sports in a country. 

As young leaders, what do you think that Lankan university's need to develop their sporting prowess?

More encouragement to engage in sports, and more support from the academic side for sportsmen and sportswomen would be a huge strength for sports in universities. More support to the sporting community including more fund allocation would be a great encouragement for student athletes. Also, if the university sports community can have more nutrition and more knowledge on the physical conditions, it would greatly reduce the injuries of student athletes. Most of the student athletes lack sound knowledge on the physical conditions. Also, most of the techniques used in university sports are outdated. If the student athletes can be educated on the modern techniques and practicing methods, there is high room for improvement of sports in universities. Publicity of the sporting events in universities too will improve focus on sports in universities and will increase the student participation in sports.  

What is your message to young budding sports people who are willing to continue their journey as a student athlete?

Whatever the path you are following, sports will have a huge impact on your career. Even in the corporate world, there are some people with a high level of skills who do not get the chance to climb up the ladder in their respective fields, while there are some who have a medium level of skills at the top of the ladder. The main reason for that is that they know how to interact with people and to express their skills and to make the maximum use of them due to the exposure they have gained by doing sports. The team working and leadership skills developed through sports will strongly influence your career. Sports will also help to keep you healthy mentally and physically throughout your journey. Continue your sport along with your studies to build a better future with a balanced personality.

University of Moratuwa Sports Council officials-2024

President - Nimesh Ranchagoda

Vice President - Kasun Bandara

Secretary - Sandul Wickramasooriya

Junior Treasurer - Yasira Punsith

Lady Representative - Surajani Silva

Editor - Dinithi Gunasekara

University of Moratuwa - Performances - 2023

Runners-up - Sri Lanka University Games (with the highest number of championships)

Badminton - Men

Baseball

Basketball- Men

Chess - Men

Rowing - Men & Women

Table Tennis - Men & Women

Taekwondo - Men & Women

Tennis - Men