NOC launches official magazine ‘Good Sport’

Marking a milestone in its 81 year history the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) last week launched its first publication ‘Good Sport’ with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Chief Guest.

The first copy of the quarterly inaugural issue was presented to Prime Minister by NOC Sri Lanka President Suresh Subramaniam. The launch held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo was attended by sports celebrities and corporate leaders. 

Subramaniam, elected early this year, pledged to usher in a favourable environment for Sri Lankan athletes especially those who are active members of the 31 Federations that make up the NOCSL. 

To kick-start this ambitious pledge, Sri Lanka was able to send the largest ever contingent of over 170 athletes participating in 28 sports to the 18th Asian Games that concluded in Jakarta on 2 September. 

The NOCSL’s official publication ‘Good Sport’ in its inaugural edition features the sportsmen and women within its 128 pages highlighting the colourful presence of Sri Lanka at the Asian Games, which is the second biggest multi-sport event after Olympics. This year’s event saw participation from 45 countries for 40 sports. 

“The publication of ‘Good Sport’ is an important step in NOCSL’s strategy to raise the profile of all sports in Sri Lanka and harness much needed support from the corporate sector. The inauguration of the Prime Minister’s Sports Fund with Rs. 50 million was indeed a highly commendable start,” Subramaniam said. The launch saw attendance by NOCSL’s key players, Secretary General Maxwell De Silva, Immediate Past President Hemasiri Fernando and other office bearers. 

In a bid to raise the profile of the NOCSL and sports in the country, NOCSL website will be revamped in the near future. The website will also feature content from the magazine which will be updated in between the publications. ‘Good Sport’ is edited by veteran journalist Alvin Sallay.