Sri Lanka is set to field just five athletes, the lowest number since the 1984 Olympics, at the 2024 Paris Olympics with only three achieving qualification while two received wild cards.
But the number of officials that will make it to the Olympics is unknown although it has been a practice for officials to outnumber the athletes to an alarming ratio.
Unlike in the past Sri Lankan track and field athletes will no longer receive wild card entries and thus the reason for just three of them joining two swimmers who were entitled to wild card entries.
Sri Lanka Athletics had entered the name of Yupun Abeykoon for the ‘universality’ (wildcard) place in the event and no male athlete qualified for the Paris Olympics.
Abeykoon has also reportedly not fully recovered from an injury.
Asian Games gold medallist Tharushi Karunaratne has secured the 45th position in the ‘Road to Paris 24’ rankings following her impressive performances according to the latest rankings updated by World Athletics last week.
She is one of the Sri Lankan athletes to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024 and is the most determined female athlete in the country at present with the energy to compete with top athletes around the world.
Though slim in stature she has the amazing ability to finish the race very energetically and has often moved to the top among the finishers.
Tharushi had secured a hard-fought 45th place finish out of a possible 48 qualifying spots in the World Athletics rankings. This achievement has booked her ticket to compete in the women’s 800m race at the Paris Olympics 2024.
The other Sri Lankan athlete to qualify is javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge improved to 26th position. This improvement was achieved following her performances at the Nationals.
Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) said that the fate of Aruna Dharshana would be known later. He stands at 51st in the rankings list.
There are two swimmers who have booked their tickets to the Olympic Games in Kyle Abeysinghe and Ganga Seneviratne who have secured their places with wild card entries. Only the Sri Lankan swimmers have received this kind of entry without qualified representation.
Shuttler Viren Nettasinghe too has sealed a spot in the contingent, the smallest Sri Lanka team of members to any Olympic Games.
Sri Lanka Athletics has made an appeal to consider providing an Olympic berth to javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga who has the tenth longest throw in the world this season despite not reaching qualifying standards to Paris.
The track and field governing body has made the request from the International Olympic Committee through the National Olympic Committee.
“We made a request to give Rumesh Tharanga the opportunity to participate at the Olympics as his best throw this season is rated in the tenth position in the world.
The NOC had made the appeal to the IOC on our behalf,” Saman Kumara, the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics said.
