Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Monday, 11 March 2024 00:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shamseer Jaleel
The farewell event and launch of the OLY Niluka Karunaratne Foundation took place at the Sri Lanka Olympic House last week, commemorating the illustrious career of three-time Olympian Niluka Karunaratne.
Karunaratne embarked on his sporting journey at the age of 8 in 1993. His illustrious career saw him clinch his first national title in 2001, setting a record as the youngest badminton national champion in Sri Lanka, a record that still stands to this day. Over the span of 22 years, Karunaratne competed in three Olympic Games – London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.
He led Sri Lanka at the London 2012 Olympics, in addition to participating in six Commonwealth Games and two Asian Games. Karunaratne holds the distinction of being the sole Sri Lankan badminton player to attain international acclaim, achieving a world ranking of 34. His achievements include 34 international medals, with 5 gold medals across all five continents.
Currently, Karunaratne serves as the Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka. Karunaratne officially announced his retirement in October 2023, at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. However, his formal farewell took place recently in the presence of the sporting fraternity, family, friends, and the media.
In his farewell address, Karunaratne expressed heartfelt gratitude to his sporting fraternity, family, friends, supporters, and all those who contributed to his remarkable journey.
Niluka said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country and sport at the highest level. I am immensely grateful for the unwavering support I have received throughout my career.”
Karunaratne launched the “OLY Niluka Karunaratne Foundation” with the objective of supporting athletes locally and internationally, aiming to enhance the quality of sport through athlete assistance programs. As an initial gesture of support, the foundation provided its first grant to OLY Yupun Abeykoon, who is striving to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
