Virtusa promotes reconciliation through sports with SL Army

Virtusa Corporation, a global business consulting and IT outsourcing company that combines innovation, technology leadership and industry solutions to transform customer experience, joined hands with the 54th Division of the Sri Lanka Army to promote reconciliation through sports. Under this partnership, Virtusa designed and donated software to operate the LED digital scoreboard at the unit’s Mathota Sports Arena in Mannar. This 1,500 seater sports complex was constructed under the guidance of the Security Force Commander Wanni Major General Boniface Perera and was declared open by the Commander of Sri Lanka Army recently.

Major General Udayantha Wijerathna, General Officer Commanding, 54th Division, Sri Lanka Army said, “With the end of the civil war, we have been focusing our efforts on reconciliation and strongly believe that sports will go a long way in promoting communal harmony. I would like to thank companies like Virtusa for supporting us in this endeavour. The Mathota Sports Arena will offer much needed recreation and training facilitates to the region’s youth.”

“It is always exciting to apply our professional skills to improve quality of life for people in our nation. We hope this new stadium and our contribution of the digital scoreboard will help the nation’s reconciliation efforts,” said Virtusa Director – Technology Chamindra De Silva.

“Engaging with and contributing to the communities we work in is a key element of our global sustainability efforts. We seek to leverage our technical skills and expertise to offer solutions to create a positive social impact. It is an honour for us to partner with the Sri Lanka Army in their bid to promote reconciliation through sports,” said Denver DeZylva, senior director of shared services at Virtusa.

Chamindra and Denver led a team of four young Virtusa engineers, Dinuth De Zoysa, Pubudu Welagedara, Nimashi Anne Perera and Rashmi Wasala, to develop the software, using .Net application and Action Script, in two months. The solution allows users to customise screen colours, display photos of the players, animated images and text, commercials and messages. Virtusa also donated a computer to run the digital scoreboard.