The new National Sports Council was appointed by Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage today (14) in terms of the provisions of the Sports Act No. 25 of 1973 of the National Council of State with the objective of advising the Minister on matters relating to the development, promotion and control of sports in Sri Lanka.
Priyantha Ekanayake was appointed as the new Chairman of the National Sports Council. He is a rugby player and basketball player and has played as the captain of the Sri Lanka rugby team, as the President of the Sri Lanka and Asian Rugby Unions, and has also played for the New Zealand and Wales rugby clubs.
Other members of the National Sports Council were also appointed on this occasion. The members are,
Samantha Nanayakkara – Professor of Sports Studies and Sports Psychologist at the University of Colombo, and the first female Professor of Sports in Sri Lanka. She is also a basketball player at the university level.
Rukman Wekadapola – Consultant and referee for the International Boxing Association, he also serves as a visiting lecturer and sports teacher at the university.
Sidath Wettamuni – Former cricketer who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as an opening batsman from 1982 to 1987.
Chanaka Jayamaha – is currently practicing as a Supreme Court lawyer and has served as a non-executive independent director of Colombo Dockyard PLC.
Rohan Abeykoon – is a Sri Lankan rugby player and former chairman of the National Rugby Selection Committee. He is a former captain of the Rugby 7s team.
Niroshan Wijeyakoon – is a badminton player and the first badminton player to represent Sri Lanka at the Olympics. (1983-1987, 1989-1992) He has won the Sri Lanka Badminton Championship in singles. He has also served as the Chairman of the National Selection Committee and a national coach.
Murad Ismail – Has been associated with a number of associations, including the Sri Lanka Table Tennis Federation. Has served as a former member of the Golf Selection Committee and as the former Secretary of the Table Tennis Association.
Roshan Mahanama – Former Sri Lankan cricketer and a key member of the 1996 Cricket World Cup winning team. He is the first person in the history of Test cricket to appear as a day-night match umpire. Has also served as a member of the Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee. He is also a former great match umpire in international cricket.
C. Ratnamudali – Lecturer at the University of Moratuwa and has also worked in university level sports. He is also involved in sports regulations and sports studies, working for the National Volleyball Federation.
Sriyani Kulavansa – An Olympian and won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the Asian Games. She has participated in over 70 international games from 1989 to 2004. She still holds the record for the hurdles event at the South Asian Games.
Malik J. Fernando – Co-Chairman of Dilma Pvt. Ltd.
Shanitha Fernando – A former rugby player who represented the CR & FC rugby team for over 12 years. He captained the team in 1994 and also played for the national rugby team from 1994 to 1998. He was also the former Vice President of the CR & FC Rugby Club.
The appointments of the National Sports Council were held today (14) at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The appointment letters were handed over by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage. The Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Eranga Gunasekara, also attended the event.
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