Abstract:
Among the Sri Lankan team (110 athletes) participated in the 2022 Commonwealth
Games (CWG) Birmingham, only four athletes won medals. The purpose of this study
is to identify effective factors on performance of Sri Lankan athletes in the CWG and
to compare the factors affecting those who have won the CWG medals and those who
did not win medals. The population was selected from those who engaged with the
Sri Lankan team practices for 2022 commonwealth games. The athletes (n1=10) and
national coaches (n2=10) were selected as a sample from the population through the
purposive sampling method. The data were collected from one-to-one direct interviews
and the collected data were analysed by thematic analysis. Training and preparation,
coaching and guiding, facilities, and external environmental factors are the main effective
themes in the performances. Base on the analysed results foundation of an
athlete’s career, training plan, performance analysis, and nutritional consultation were
the effective sub themes to the training and preparation. Coaches’ education level, the
relationship between coach and athlete, and coaching experience were the influencing
factors to coaching and guiding. Standard playing areas and equipment, and high
performance centres were the related elements to the facilities. Social and cultural
aspects, environmental changes and the economical barriers were the interrelated external
environmental factors. In congruence with interview and literature studies, lack of
childhood sports foundation, non-relevant talent identification, undefined training plan,
irregular performances analysis, obstructed nutritional plan, lack of standard playing
area, high cost of standard equipment, impoverished high performance centres and most
certainly not havnig environmental chambers, lack of support from the government,
education institutions and spectators, cultural myths, gender discrimination, economic
inflation, COVID-19 pandemic, and high altitude environment have negatively affected
to the athlete performances. These factors have contributed less to medal winners.
