COLOMBO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday urged sportsmen and women to play clean in sports without resorting to short cuts for success.

"Please do not resort to illegal or unethical ways to achieve success. I want to tell the coaches and trainers not to lead young chargers to do such illegal and unethical practices to win in sport," Rajapaksa stressed.

Addressing the 37th national sports festival here Rajapaksa said the whole nation of Sri Lanka back the sportsmen and women who represent the country.

"Do not tarnish the good image of the country and let down the country", the president pleaded.

His comments came as several national sportsmen were found guilty by respective sports bodies for using banned steroids.

An international cricketer representing the island's most popular sport, cricket, a weightlifter, a boxer and three national rugby players were tested positive in the recent months for banned steroids and were subject to international bans.

There were allegations from past national players in cricket that they had been offered money by bookmakers to underperform.

In order to check the trend of more and more sportsmen resorting to performance enhancers the ministry of sports has launched a programme to streamline the ministry's sports medicine unit.

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