MAS Holdings and National Paralympic Committee partner to empower Sri Lankan para athletes

From left: National Paralympic Committee Secretary Brig. Bandula Bandara, National Paralympic Committee President Lt. Col. Deepal Herath, MAS Holdings Chief Innovation Officer Ranil Vitarana and Linea Aqua CEO Muditha Ferdinando 

National Paralympic Committee President Lt. Col. Deepal Herath shaking hands with MAS Holdings Chief Innovation Officer Ranil Vitarana while National Paralympic Committee Secretary Brig. Bandula Bandara and Linea Aqua CEO Muditha Ferdinando look on 

 National Paralympic Committee President 

Lt. Col. Deepal Herath (left) and MAS Holdings Chief Innovation Officer Ranil Vitarana

MAS Innovation Ltd., a subsidiary of MAS Holdings, yesterday entered a partnership with the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) to provide innovative, best-in-class sports attire for Sri Lankan national para athletes. 

This partnership follows the MoU signed between MAS and the NPC on 23 November, establishing MAS as the official clothing partner for the NPC, and will be applicable for local trainings, selection trials and competitions held both locally and internationally for the Sri Lankan Paralympic contingent.

Through this partnership, MAS will be the official clothing partner for the NPC over the next two years, with Sri Lanka’s Asian Youth Paralympic team being the first recipients of sporting gear provided by MAS, South Asia’s largest apparel and sportswear manufacturer for the world’s leading sportswear brands.

“Sri Lanka will be represented by six young athletes and two swimmers at the third edition of the Asian Youth Para Games held in Bahrain with an overall participation of more than 35 countries. The athletes will be competing under different categories and are now undergoing the last lap of their training in Colombo. This partnership with MAS will greatly benefit our athletes, elevating their performance and status as representatives of Sri Lanka,” said NPC President Lt. Col. Deepal Herath. 

Sri Lanka alone has more than 1.7 million people living with some form of disability. Many between the ages of 15 and 35 who are eligible and interested in para sports often go unidentified due to infrastructure and socio-economic challenges, with only a few having the opportunity to participate at a club or national level. 

“We are proud to support and empower these talented athletes” said MAS Holdings Chief Innovation Officer Ranil Vitarana, adding: “We are at the forefront of innovating the highest quality of adaptive sports apparel, and leveraging upon our expertise we hope that we can enhance the performance of Sri Lanka’s para athletes, raising the standard of national para sports in Sri Lanka.” 

Recognising the challenges persons with disabilities face with conventional clothing which requires the full usage of both arms or legs, MAS ventured into the Adaptive Apparel space in 2019, catering to persons with temporary and permanent disabilities and mobility restrictions. 

Through comprehensive research with medical professionals, caregivers and users from the US and Sri Lanka, MAS creates products that enable independent dressing and incorporates adaptive functionality into mainstream clothing. 

“Our ultimate aim is to create impactful apparel solutions that enable communities to be inclusive, blurring boundaries and empowering all athletes to realise their full potential,” added Vitarana.

MAS employs over 380 persons with disabilities who are involved in co-creating and testing Adaptive Wear including para athletes Amara Indumathi, and Kumudu Priyanka who participated in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, who have also been closely involved in the development of Adaptive Activewear. This partnership is a testament to MAS’ commitment to inclusivity and its position as a leading corporate entity supporting persons with disabilities.