GoodSport GoodSport CONTENTS “THE CHALLENGES AT HAND” Official Publication of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka December 2018 MAXWELL DE SILVA Secretary General, National Olympic Committee 03 THE CHALLENGES AT HAND Round up of NOC activities by Maxwell De Silva, Secretary General, ince the new committee to follow these courses with the mutual respect and common interests. National Olympic Committee ELECTED OFFICIALS assumed their duties in objective of sharpening their skills thus It was signed by a MOU on the 29th of President: Suresh Subramaniam February 2018, we have enhancing Federations’ abilities to reach November 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. Secretary General: Maxwell De Silva embarkedS on a journey based on their respective goals. In the future we 06 YoUTH OLYMPIC GAMES Immediate Past President: stakeholder requirements objectively. intend recommending to the Ministry of Sub-Committees Youth Olympians and their performances at YOG - Argentina Hemasiri Fernando Sports that all National Federations and To ensure a smooth flow of activities Vice-Presidents: Joseph Kenny The pre-requisites to this challenge is relevant officials are required to follow the executive committee approved the Asanga Seneviratne the co-operation with the Ministry of these courses thereby ensuring the right following sub-committees: 28 A TALL StorY Maj-General (retd) Palitha Fernando Sports and the Department of Sports quality in meeting global challenges. Women’s Committee Senior DIG (retd) Sumith Edirisinghe Development. There they would have Finance Committee How Tharjini, Sri Lanka’s Queen of netball stands head and shoulders Treasurer: Senaka Ranasinghe to work very closely with the Ministry Media Ethics Committee above the rest Assistant Treasurer: of Sports and in particular the Hon. This is another ground breaking Education Committee 33 VOLLEYBALL Nishantha Jayasinghe Minister in assisting every single and innovative step that they have Medical Committee Assistant Secretary: Aiming for more medal success national federation. The National taken. Since the new committee took Media and Marketing Committee Chandana Liyanage Olympic Committee (NOC) made sure over, they came out with a quarterly High Performance Committee Members: Chanaka Hashantha the participation of their athletes for the magazine in highlighting our athletes Procurement Committee 36 LAUNCH OF GOOD SPORT Fazil Hussain, Ajith Thamel Commonwealth and Asian Games. and National Federations. This step Nominations Committee A proud new milestone in Sri Lanka’s sports arena. The photos and helped the NOC give the athletes and speech made by the President of NOC are captured here GOODSPORT Editor-in-Chief: Saabir Cader We sponsored airfare for all athletes federations the much needed exposure. In general, the executive committee through the Prime Minister’s Sports They have already employed a senior meets every first Wednesday of the 44 A Boost FOR SRI Lanka’S EQUestrianism [email protected] Contributors: Alvin Sallay, Fund and they continue to utilise this media personnel to handle NOC media month and have had nearly 10 meetings Mathilda Karlsson's story Harsha Amarasinghe, facility effectively and it will be used and to get the required publicity for so far. sports in general. Our new website and 46 SRI Lanka Sports Highlights Guyanga Weerasekera, Susil Premalal to assist athletes and officials, in their endeavours. social media network is another step We appreciate if all federations Our performers fared well in a variety of sports IMAGES we have taken to elevate sports to the could participate in our educational Cover image: Sameera Peiris Identifying requirements of national next level. programmes thereby enhancing their 60 Glove Love Inside: Thusith Wijedoru, Thishan Dissanayake, federations, we have called all capacity building as we find that some A quick look at the game’s progress in Sri Lanka Europian Photo Agency (epa.eu) federations to submit their action plans Signing of MOU with Foundation of of the federations do not have expertise ThePapare.Com, Ceylon Athletics and budgets etc. to NOC and we have Goodness to handle day to day affairs. We have 64 International Stars Highlights GRAPHICS/DESIGN advised the government in assisting A Memorandum of Understanding made representation to the government An interesting line up across the world of sports Strategic Alliance (Pvt) Limited them where needed by allocating funds was signed between NOC Sri to support such associations through for infrastructure development and Lanka and Foundation of Goodness grants etc from the budget so that they 84 SRI LANKA HOCKEY LOOKS TO REPLICATE MARKETING assisting federations with funding for on 05th December 2018. It was could employ admin staff etc. Strategic Alliance (Pvt) Limited their player development. attended by representatives from SUCCESS OF THE '60S National Federations along with We are also working closely with the Ready to bring back glory PRINTING Another very significant achievement former cricketing icons -- Muttiah government in trying to secure land Softwave Printing and Packaging (Pvt) Ltd. was the appointing of the Women’s Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardana to house all such National Federations 88 NOCSL INSPIRES 31 FEDERATIONS CONTACTS Committee headed by Ms. Niloo and Kumar Sangakkara who came in as who does not have a place to operate UNDER ITS WING Please send your feedback to: Jayatilake of Golf Union. She is making special invitees. and also we are working to fast track News and insights of federations GOODSPORT, Olympic House, headway in reviving their inactive area the high altitude training centre in 100/9F, Independence Avenue, and a new policy paper on Gender Another very important Nuwara Eliya. 121 FOUNDATION OF GOODNESS JOINS Colombo 7, Sri Lanka Equality, Sexual Harassment in Sports accomplishment was the Memorandum HANDS WITH NOC Email: [email protected] will be circulated and published for of Understanding between National [email protected] implementation by all federations. Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka Bridging the gap between the urban and rural Tel: +94 11 2684420/21/22/23 and Croatian Olympic Committee. Web: www.olympics.lk Capacity Building Both committees decided to develop 122 POINT OF VIEW The National Olympic Committee also a specific cooperation in sport and to Is your child the next Sanga? GOODSPORT is published by the National conducted a very successful Advanced enhance friendly relations between Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka. The articles Sports Management Course and a sportsmen and sportswomen of Croatia 124 THE Last Shot published do not necessarily reflect the Sports Administration course. Here and Sri Lanka and hoping to create Recapturing the glory of Duncan White opinions of the National Olympic Committee they encouraged every federation to a greater understanding between of Sri Lanka. No articles may be reproduced nominate their senior office bearers our countries based on principles of without the permission of the NOC Media and Communications Department. 2 December December 3 GoodSport 4 December GoodSport GoodSport 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games The 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games were a spectacular international sports, cultural and educational event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between 6 and 18 October 2018. They were the first Summer Youth Olympic Games held outside of Asia (also first in the Southern and Western Hemispheres), and the first Youth Games for either summer or winter held outside Eurasia. 4,000 young sports men and women representing 206 National Olympic Committees across the world participated in the games. Sri Lanka made its Youth Olympics debut in archery, basketball, gymnastics and shooting. Parami Wasanthi Maristella won Sri Lanka’s first ever Youth Olympics medal, a bronze in the girls’ 2000 metre steeplechase athletics event. Text compiled by Harsha Amarasinghe Photographs by Sameera Peiris Photo: Thomas Lovelock for OIS/IOC 6 December December 7 GoodSport GoodSport Photo: Photo: Ivo Gonzalez for OIS/IOC Florian Eisele for OIS/IOC Photo: Photo: Ian Walton for OIS/IOC Ian Walton for OIS/IOC 8 December December 9 Good Sport GoodSport In the process of sealing a bronze for Sri Lanka, Wasanthi, who schools at Kuliyapitiya Central which is a distance away from Chilaw, clocked her personal best of 6 minutes and 33 seconds in the 2000m steeplechase. From a very young age, Parami was a gem. In becoming a diamond, it needed the support, guidance, love, kindness and training of a very special person – Janith Jayasinghe, her coach. Parami brings home honour From sands to podium arami Wasanthi was always Hailing from a modest family, seen as a promising young Wasanthi’s father is a fisherman athlete within the country’s which is one of the reasons why she Pathletics community, but in October would always train on the beaches of 2018 she made herself a household Chilaw. But from the beach to Youth name by claiming a bronze in the Olympic podium? Who would have 2000m Steeplechase out of nowhere. thought? Wasanthi was making waves at junior “I would go to the beach and run level like many others, but the 17-year- around. That is actually where it all old went from being an athlete with started, but coming this far is a potential to a Youth Olympic medal dream and I feel very fortunate and winner in Argentina. all my hard work has paid off,” Wasanthi said. 10 December December 11 Good Sport GoodSport While Wasanthi was making all the headlines, another female athlete, Shelinda Jansen, made great strides in 200m sprint. The spiriting sensation from Gateway College finished ninth overall at Youth Olympics, but delivered a cracking run in the heat where she clocked 24.07 secs surpassing her previous personal best of 24.98 secs, which is only behind two former greats in Damayanthi Darsha and Susanthika Jayasinghe. “My target was to clock atleast 24.80 secs but I ended up making it in 24.07 secs which is great. I thought to myself that I am going to make mother Lanka “To be honest, I don’t think it would proud and I am so happy that it came have been possible to achieve off,” Jansen said.