Turkish Airlines is facing a wave of criticism from Sri Lankans on social media after several javelins belonging to Sri Lankan athletics star Rumesh Tharanga were damaged during his return journey from Hungary.
The airline’s social media pages have been flooded with negative comments from Sri Lankan users, with many demanding an explanation and compensation for the damage caused to the equipment of one of the country’s leading athletes.
The backlash followed Tharanga’s arrival in Sri Lanka on Monday after winning the men’s javelin title at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Tharanga returned to Colombo via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight TK730. Reports said five of his javelins were damaged during air travel, while Tharanga specifically said all three javelins he had used for throws beyond 90 metres had been damaged.
“All three javelins I used for over 90 throws have been damaged. It might have been a mistake by the airline, but that’s how it is. It’s not a big issue. I’ll move on,” Tharanga said.
The damaged equipment included javelins associated with some of Tharanga’s biggest performances, including his 91.09-metre winning throw in Budapest and his 92.07-metre effort in Zurich. He had planned to use the equipment at future major international competitions, including the Asian Games, World Championships and 2028 Olympics.
Tharanga lodged a complaint with Turkish Airlines following the incident. His coach, Tony Prasanna, said the javelins had been packed carefully before being checked in and described the loss as particularly significant because of Tharanga’s emotional attachment to the equipment.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has since announced that the government will provide Tharanga with a new set of international-standard javelins and is considering seeking compensation from the airline.
As images of the damaged equipment circulated online, criticism quickly spread, with Sri Lankan social media users taking their anger directly to Turkish Airlines’ pages and demanding accountability over the handling of the athlete’s equipment.
Turkish Airlines had not publicly responded to the incident at the time of publication. (Newswire)
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