In an unlikely collaboration, Sri Lankan parliamentarian and rugby player Namal Rajapaksa has offered coaching help to a girls’ rugby team in distant Kashmir.
“I have spoken to senior Sri Lankan coach Ronnie Ibrahim, and we want to offer whatever support we can to the young team,” Mr. Rajapaksa, a former captain of Sri Lanka’s national rugby union team, told The Hindu on Thursday. Following a report by New Delhi-based World is One News on a Kashmir girls’ rugby team, Mr. Rajapaksa tweeted: “Breaking social boundaries to pursue their passion for #rugby.”
In response, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party tweeted: “Thank you Mr. Rajapaksa for endorsing the talent & extending a hand of support to these young rugby players. We are sure there must be many success stories in Sri Lanka too. All of us would be delighted to learn more about your country’s experiences & interventions.”
Mr. Rajapaksa is in touch with the Jammu and Kashmir government and hopes to visit the Valley in May along with his coaches, his office said.
“We are exploring the possibility of training sessions. Taking the circumstances in Kashmir into consideration, sports can play a great role in reconciliation, building community and leadership,” the 31-year-old Hambantota Opposition MP said. Mr. Rajapaksa and his two brothers, sons of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, are competitive rugby players.
Courtesy: The Hindu
