The world belongs to those who dare; Sri Lankan Para Olympic team unveiled

The Sri Lankan contingent that will be taking part in the 6th Paralympic Games that will be held in Rio, Brazil was unveiled at the Sports Ministry Auditorium with the participation of Hon. Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekara.

The 6th Para Olympic Games will be held in Brazil from the 7th to 18th September 2016 and Sri Lanka will be represented by 09 athletes led by Anil Prassanna Jayalath , the current Asian record holder of T4 200m event. This will be the largest number of participants the island has sent so far.  The Sri Lankan Para Olympic contingent to Rio is powered by Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka’s premier telecommunication service provider, who is a long-standing partner of disabled sports in Sri Lanka. Dialog is the proud sponsor of the National Paralympics Committee and the Sri Lanka Army Para Games Committee from 2015 to 2017 and first sponsored the Sri Lanka Paralympic contingent in the year 2000 followed by 2004, 2008 and 2012 including sponsorship of the National Sports Festival for the disabled.

Addressing the media the President of the National Paralympic Committee Mr. U.R. Rodrigo asserted that it was indeed an honor to be introducing these courageous athletes who have overcome the obstacles that life has presented them, to bring glory to the motherland. ”We would not have been able to empower these athletes if not for the contributions by the Ministry of Sports who has been supportive in every way possible to make sure that these athletes received the best preparation ahead of the games. ” He also added that ”currently the honored members of Sri Lanka Army have excelled in the Para Games but a process has been put in place to take the games to the general civil population where potential talent will be identified and will be groomed and coached under the experienced athletes who have represented the country in the international arena. ”

Speaking to the gathering next Major General Channa Goonathilake the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Army Para Games Committee mentioned that “The 09 athletes who will be leaving the country should remember that they will be carrying the hopes and blessings of an entire nation with them. Sri Lanka Army, having started Para Games in the year 1991 as a method to help rehabilitate the brave warriors injured in the battlefield, has been a major contributor to the development of the sport and is proud that 8 of the 9 athletes representing the country at the games have been nurtured by them”

The Sri Lankan contingent will be vying to repeat the heroics of Paralympian Pradeep Sanjaya, who won the nation’s first medal at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Pradeep secured a bronze in the T46 category 400m and secured Sri Lanka’s first podium finish at the Paralympics. At the IPC Asia-Oceania Championship this year, the Lankan athletes won six gold, four silver and five bronze medals and are expected to excel at the main stage in Rio.

Sri Lankan team for Paralympic games 2016