Susanthika refuses government grant

Susanthika was extensivley quoted in the local media in the last few days as having accused Dissanayake at a press conference in Sydney after winning the bronze medal in the 200m sprint of trying to force her into having sex with him. However, she told the official media here that she had been misquoted.

“I am not very competent in English. Hence, they must have misunderstood and misquoted me,” she was quoted as saying.

The 24-year-old Sri Lankan athlete caused more ripples on Wednesday when she publicly turned down the scholarship offered by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to undergo training in any part of the world.

“If you take the position I am in today, I do not need such a scholarship as such. I am training in USA and I can go there any time,” she said and added that all her expenses were being met by her sponsors.

“I am grateful to the President for offering this scholarship, but it would have been better if they had thought about it before I went for the Olympics, a time when I was facing a lot of trouble,” she said.

Susanthika, however, said she wants the President to help her build a better house to enable her to lead a good life. She claimed she had still not received the deeds for the two flats alotted to her by the government when she won a silver in the Athletic Championships at Rome in 1997.

She also expressed her disappointment at not being accorded an official reception.

“My heart is broken. I am saddened. Even then I am not pointing a finger at anybody,” she told The Daily Mirror in an interview.

Referring to her future plans, she said she might participate in the next Olympics in the 400m sprint.