The Schools Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (SBASL) has come up with an ambitious plan to win medals at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games by forming an ongoing junior national pool.
The 10-year target with short-term and long-term goals with the aim of winning four medals in Brisbane was inaugurated by the SBASL on Thursday with a grand ceremony at Kundasale Nation Builders Association in Digana, Kandy.
Boxers who won gold medals in the LV Jayaweera and TB Jayah boxing meets conducted this year were selected into the pool.
A unique feature of this programme is the 36-member junior national boxing pool will be training in four different centres from the first week of November. Winners of the upcoming All Island School Games Stubbs Shield meet will be added later, according to SBASL secretary Jamitha Bandara.
The Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has pledged to provide technical support from next year by providing an international coach for this junior national pool which will be training in Sabaragamuwa, Central, Western and Southern provinces.
At present, they have been given a set of training clothes required for training.
In the future, the sponsors will provide them with the necessary uniforms and training equipment.
Sinnasamy Muttiah, father of cricket legend Muttiah Muralidaran was the chief guest along with Kamal Ariyasinghe the principal of Dharmaraja College, Kandy as the guest of honour. Leading BASL officials, vice presidents Wasantha Kumara and Lt Col Hemantha Weerasinghe (rtd), secretary Abdullah Ibunu and former national coach Capt. RK Indrasena also graced the occasion.
Meanwhile, trials to select boxers for the Asian School Boys and Girls Boxing Championship to be held in Iraq in December will be held from October 8 to 10 at the Royal MAS Arena in conjunction with the BASL Intermediates meet. This will be held in three weight categories each for boys and girls born in the year 2008 and 2009. Those eligible to participate are gold and silver medal winners of LV Jayaweera, TB Jayah and Donald Munasinghe Challenge trophy meets.
Following is the Junior National boxing pool:
JID Ratnayake, KK Gunawardhana, MM Bandara. JMT Deshan ((Pallebowala National School), HBPH Dilhara (Koraboruwana MV), J Martigala, NWPSS Nanayakkara ((President’s College, Veyangoda), R Dinojan (Saraswathi College, Suntharapuram), MNAAI Nasar (Siri Piyarathne College, Horana), J Nanayakkara (Thurstan College), KS Kusal (Sumangala College, Kandy), WGSC Warnakulasuriya, KWSMA Dasunpriya (Peradeniya Central College), AN Samarasekera (Uyangoda College, Karagoda), MNLM Nawaratna (Lankathilaka MV), GKVD Piris (Sunandopananda College), SPP Angelo. R Krishanthan, PACM Kumara (St Sylvester’s College, Kandy), TPDS Weerasinghe (Pilimathalawa Central College), WKLR Gunarathna (Sivali Central College), LD Darshamela (Aloysious College, Rathnapura), MG Hasanka, LPH Nikshan, TT Palihawadana (Narandeniya National School), TA Dilshan, ARS Chamika (Sumana Saman MV), DS Samarasekera (S Thomas’ College), RARR Rupasinghe (Bandaranayake College, Veyangoda), OK Madushan (Saranad College, Ambilipitiya), V Senath, L Nemitha, B Perera, C Silva (Mahanama, Colombo), MTA Murajudeen, MH Amath (Zahira College, Colombo)