Sujith Weerasinghe, who lives in the United Kingdom is well-known as a person who financially helps athletes in Sri Lanka.
A couple of weeks ago, following a social media post requesting for help, he made a donation to purchase a pair of shoes for a Sri Lankan athlete.
Weerasinghe carried the Olympic Torch in the 2012 London Olympic torch run.
This year, after a decade, the United Kingdom is ready to organize another athletic event, the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham. Youth Observer recently contacted him online to obtain his views on his philanthropy and athletics in general.
Q: To begin with, could you recollect the Olympic Torch run in the UK in 2012?
A: Yes. I had a chance to participate in a run with the Olympic torch. It was a remarkable experience for me. I am very proud about it as a Sri Lankan. I think it was a big honour for me and my country. I enjoyed it very much.
Q: There are a large number of Sri Lankans in the UK, and in fact some holding responsible jobs. How did you come to bear the Olympic Torch?
A: A good question indeed. You are correct. I am not a professional athlete. There are several reasons the organizers of the London Olympics decided to select me to bear the Olympic torch. The main reason is that I work for the British Oil Company as a Regional Manager and the company was one of the main sponsors of the opening ceremony.
I work for various children’s charity programs in the United Kingdom and in Sri Lanka. I have won the Best Regional Manager award on three consecutive occasions in the company. These are the reasons I got the opportunity.
Q: Did you meet the organisers of the Olympics before you participated in this event?
A: Yes. I had several meetings with the organizers. At that time there were threats from the Al Quida terrorist organisation. We heard that they may try to attack at the Olympics. As participants of the Olympic torch run we had to discuss these with the organizers.
The organizers and our company conducted several discussions and drew up l plans to protect the Games from any terrorist attack. We had to think as to how a terrorist thinks, plan how to foil them. That was a marvellous experience.
Q: After a decade there is another milestone in Birmingham. The Commonwealth Games will be held in that city. Have you any involvement with this event?
A: No. This time I will not have not any direct involvement. I hope to be a spectator at the Games.
Q: A couple of weeks ago you donated money to buy a shoe pair for a marathon runner in Sri Lanka. How did you get involved in it?
A: I think you are asking about my gift to the Wellawaya marathon runner. Yes. She had a problem. She did not have a pair of running shoes. There was a post on Social Media regarding her plight and I received a message from a journalist in Wellawaya, Indika Garusinghe asking me to help.
I told him that I will solve the problem immediately and within five minutes I sent the money for the girl from Wellawaya to buy the shoes. I send the money via the banking system.
Q: Why do you emphasise the fact that you sent the money through the banking system? Are you trying to convey a message?
A: Yes. Today Sri Lanka is in the grip of an economic crisis. Most expatriates instead of sending money through the banking system send it via private money brokers. So, the country faces a shortage of foreign exchange. That is a major problem. As a man who lives in the UK, I send every cent via the correct banking method. It is a service to my country. I have sent plenty of donations to Sri Lanka. I sent all the money via the banking sector. It is a responsibility as a Sri Lankan staying overseas and I am proud about it.
Q: After your donation to the Wellawaya girl what happened between yourself and the Sri Lankan athletics community?
A: She is a very clever girl. I wanted to present more equipment used by marathon runners the world over. But she said that she has the other equipment but only needed a pair of shoes.
She now maintains contact with me and Indika Garusinghe and informs us of her progress in athletics and I am ever ready to help her if any need arises. I thank Garusinghe who coordinated this donation. I have made donations to several sportsmen before this. If any sportsman or woman needs running shoes I am ready to provide it.
Q: You have plenty of experience living and travelling in Europe. How would you compare our athletes with those in Europe? What is your opinion on improving the standard of our athletes?
A: I think we have talented athletes. If they are provided facilities they can shine on the world stage. However, this is not an easy task. We must identify talent at the school level and provide them with facilities to improve.
The Government must provide financial incentives for performance in a transparent way and this should be monitored online. Another thing that could be done is for the Sports Ministry to team up with about 20 big companies in the country to provide facilities for provincial sportsmen and women.
It will help to develop their skills. We must have discipline too. Without discipline no sector could be developed. We must follow the law.
Q: You have two sons. Are they involved in sports activities?
A: Yes. My two sons are sportsmen. My elder son is an undergraduate and plays cricket for the university and also club cricket. My younger son is in school. He also plays cricket. I have taught them the integrity of sports. We must keep to the spirit of sports and not focus on winning at any cost. The most valuable thing is participation.
Q: The final question. Could you say something about your donations?
A: I have done this for over 20 years. I have found that when children with talent are provided support they show good results. I do community work not only in Sri Lanka but in England too. As a human being I am happy to be involved in charity programs. When the Tsunami devastated Sri Lanka my oil company and I collected Sterling Pounds 1.5 million for the people of Sri Lanka. But we never got any publicity for this work. Several people contribute to my charity work.
