Abstract:
The objective of this research was to elaborate on the contemporary issues and challenges
of Sports and Physical Education (PE) in Sri Lanka and by accompanying the
current state of problems and to identify the forthcoming issues and challenges. Physical
Education is the teaching of all physical activities, starting from the simplest physical
skills to the most competitive sports. The teaching strategies and skills learnt in PE
are used in the form of practice or competition in sports. In the Sri Lankan context,
many issues and challenges related to Sports and PE exist. The key issues are evident in
many ways such as, low level of recognition, lack of an effective school curriculum, lack of
facilities for athletes, lack of a proper management scheme for differently-abled athletes,
limited career opportunities for PE graduates, appointment of non-qualified teachers for
the teaching of PE in Schools, negative effects of stereotypical ideas of sports for gender,
social class and cultural beliefs. So the research questions was critically discussed and
the conclusions were derived by thoroughly analyzing the data from both primary and
secondary resources. When the absolute negligence of Sports and PE occurs, no citizen
will have either faith or an interest to engage in sports, which may contribute to the
degradation of sports. Considering these factors, it is recommended that drastic and
rapid developments in the Sport and PE sector are required to elevate Sri Lankan
standards to the international level.
