By Revatha S. Silva As The Morning Sports reported on Monday (10), it was none other than Namal Rajapaksa who was sworn in as the new Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports yesterday (12). He thus became the first Sports Minister of Sri Lanka to have represented the country at the highest level (see story below on the origin and history of Sri Lanka’s Sports Ministry). Rajapaksa, 34, a product of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, represented Sri Lanka in rugby from 2010-14 while captaining the national team in 2014. Earlier, he has led Sri Lanka Under-16 rugby team in 2000 and the national Under-19 team in 2004. Complete restructuring on the cards Talking to media after the swearing-in ceremony of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s new Cabinet in Kandy yesterday, Rajapaksa said that restructuring the entire sports field is in new Government’s agenda. “We always give emphasis only on cricket. But I am not the Minster of Cricket. I am the Minister of all sports in the country. We plan to initiate a restructuring in the entire sports field,” he explained. Further describing his plans on the country’s key sport, cricket, and its dwindling situation at present, Rajapaksa said his Ministry will take steps to get assistance of top former cricketers of the country and make a restructuring of the game. “I will take steps to get the assistance from former players and restructure cricket too.” Thenuka is State Minister of Sports Meanwhile, Thenuka Vidanagamage was sworn yesterday in as the State Minister of Sports. His portfolio was stated as “the State Minister on the Development of Infrastructure of Rural and Schools Sports”. The 47-year-old Badulla District MP is the son of Uva Provincial Councillor Gunapala Vidanagamage and younger brother of Anura Vidanagamage, who is also a Provincial Council Minister. First-time ministers Thenuka won third place from the Badulla District, representing the victorious Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) at the 5 August parliamentary polls, with 68,338 votes. He has represented his district in the 2010 and 2015 Parliaments, but has never held any ministerial portfolio before, like Namal Rajapaksa, who is also holding his first ministry after about 10 years in Parliament, representing the Hambantota District.