Sri Lanka's Olympic problems

By Ayanjit Sen BBC correspondent in Colombo

Sri Lanka is not one of the country's expecting to create waves at the Athens Olympics.

It has only won one Olympic medal since 1952 - a bronze.

That went to female sprinter, Susanthika Jayasinghe, 28, at the Sydney Olympics in the 200m sprint.

But any hopes that she could improve on that at Athens were smashed when she fractured her leg recently.

Darsha Damayanti is hoping to step into Susanthika's shoes

It was in Athens seven years ago that Jayasinghe won her country's first ever medal at a world athletics event - a silver in women's 200m, at the World Athletics' championship.

Now, other Sri Lankan athletes are hoping to emulate her feat.

"We shall all try to win medals for the honour of our country," says Damayanthi Darsha, a women's 400 metres runner and part of the eight-member Sri Lankan contingent to the Athens Olympics.

But national athletic coach Laxman De Alvis is not optimistic.

"Ending the gold drought and cornering a slice of glory by the country's participants in Athens is not likely, more so when Susanthika will not take part due to injury as she was our best medal hope," he told BBC News Online.

In the absence of Susanthika, hopes are resting on Asian championship double gold medallist, Rohan Pradeep Kumara Fernando, who will compete in the 400 metres.

Ranked among the top 60 sprinters in the world, he has won three Asian Grand Prix meets this year.

"But he is bound to face stiff competition and winning a medal may be a bit difficult," says Krishna Francis, a Sri Lankan sport journalist.

This is the only good athletic track in Sri Lanka

The other contestants include Manjula Kumara Wijesekera in the men's high jump and Anuruddha Indrajith Cooray in the men's marathon.

The country's Olympics team will also participate in shooting and swimming.

Along with the eight-member team, 16 officials are also accompanying the team in Athens.

Battling poverty

Many of Sri Lanka's top athletes have had to overcome tremendous hardship to make it at the international level.

"Born in a poor family in a poverty-stricken village near the capital Colombo, Jayasinghe, like most sports persons from developing countries, had to overcome many problems in order to pursue a professional career in athletics," says coach De Alvis.

He says the country has only one good athletics track.

"The athletes need improved ground facilities, nutrition, psychologist and a good physiotherapist as well, " he says.

In a country where people swear by cricket, few are hopeful that any of the athletes will get a chance to stand on the victory podium in Athens.