By The Line Judge

From Jesse Owens to Tommie Smith, Billie Jean King to Muhammad Ali, Naomi Osaka to Megan Rapinoe, history has enough examples of sports stars taking up social and political causes, often at a great personal loss to their careers.

Owens shattered the myth of Aryan supremacy advocated by Adolf Hitler by winning a record four athletic gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Smith and his American teammate John Carlos raised their fists in a ‘Black Power’ salute on the podium after the 200 metre final at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Both were suspended and removed from the Olympic Village. King fought for equal pay in women’s tennis while Ali lost his heavyweight crown after refusing to join the draft in the US war in Vietnam.

Another tennis star Osaka showed her solidarity with the Black Lives Movement campaign during the US Open, while US national team women’s soccer star Rapinoe protested against racial inequality and the oppression of black people in America by kneeling during the national anthem before an international against Thailand.

Sri Lanka’s cricket heroes hardly needed any inspiration to voice their anger and even join the thousands who took to the streets to rally against the government as the country endured its worst economic crisis since independence. Crippled by shortages of cooking gas and fuel, a frustrated population have risen in a show of defiance calling for the overthrow of the existing government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Roshan Mahanama became the public face of the unprecedented peoples’ movement at Colombo’s beachfront in Galle Face, which has attracted various top personalities from different walks of life. Mahanama, who was joined by former Sri Lanka fast bowler Champaka Ramanayake, has called on the public to show their disappointment against the leaders of Sri Lanka in a very peaceful manner.

“People have been there for me when I was a player and I think I have a responsibility to come out and speak up on behalf of them. Yes, we are going through a crisis. This is a very unusual crisis. I was told that India had a similar problem in 1991 if I’m not mistaken,” he told NDTV.

“We are running out of time. The leaders are the people who are responsible for making these decisions. People will keep protesting until they see that some important decisions are taken. And it’s important that we show our disappointment until they start coming up with solutions,” said Mahanama, a former ICC Match Referee.

Mahanama had earlier taken to the streets against “power-hungry leaders” of the country. “I joined a protest in my neighbourhood as I see it as my duty to show my support towards the innocent people of our motherland, who are on a path to fight against power-hungry leaders of our country.”

Apart from Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Attapattu who is domiciled in Australia, have taken to the streets. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have also not pulled their punches while taking part in the IPL (Indian Premier League).

“Sri Lankans are going through one of the toughest times imaginable. It is heart-breaking to see the despair of people and families as they struggle to make it through the day, and each day for them gets harder. The people are raising their voices and asking for what is needed: a solution,” Sangakkara, currently with Rajasthan Royals as a mentor, wrote on Instagram.

When the government clamped a curfew amid social media blackouts when protests first took place outside the residence of the president, Jayawardene, head coach of Mumbai Indians, wrote about the need to let the public protest. “The government cannot ignore the needs of the people who have every right to protest. Detaining people who do is not acceptable and I am very proud of the brave Sri Lankan lawyers who rushed to their defence,” Jayawardene wrote on Twitter. “True leaders own up to mistakes. There is massive urgency here to protect the people of our country, united in their suffering. These problems are man-made and can be fixed by the right, qualified people,” stated Jayawardene who quit as chairman of the National Sports Council.

World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga urged Sri Lanka cricketers playing in the IPL to return home at least for a week and join the protesters.

“I really don’t know but there are some cricketers who are lavishly playing in the IPL and haven’t spoken about their country. Unfortunately, people are scared to speak against the government. These cricketers are also working for the cricket board under the ministry and they are trying to protect their jobs. But now they have to take a step as some of the young cricketers also came forward and gave statements in support of the protest,” Arjuna Ranatunga told ANI.

Wanindu Hasaranga, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, and Chamika Karunaratne are some of the prominent Sri Lanka internationals who are part of IPL 2022.

“Even though I am many miles away, I can still feel the anguish of my fellow Sri Lankans, as they struggle to make it through each day. Now, they have found even their most fundamental rights suppressed, in an effort to quell their voices. But when 22 million voices rise as one, it cannot be ignored. The people of Sri Lanka deserve to be heard. The people of Sri Lanka deserve to live life without the fear that they will not be able to provide for their families. The people of Sri Lanka deserve better,” tweeted the outspoken Rajapaksa who made a dream debut for Punjab Kings. Theekshana’s fantastic four-wicket haul on his IPL debut helped Chennai Super Kings secure their first win of the season

“People ask me why I am not in the protests. It’s just that I have been into politics for the last 19 years and this is not a political issue. So far, none of the political parties and politicians have got into the protests and that’s the biggest strength of the people of this country,” added Ranatunga, a former parliamentarian.

-ENCL