Sri Lanka to be represented by 6 athletes at 2024 Paris Olympics

From left: Paris 2024 Chef de Mission National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka Assistant Secretary Chandana Liyanage, Sports Ministry Sports Development Department Director General Dr. Shemal Fernando, National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka President Suresh Subramaniam, National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka Secretary General Maxwell de Silva, French Embassy of Colombo Cultural and Cooperation Counselor Olivia Bellemere, and Lovi Ceylon Founder and CEO Asanka De Mel

From left: Ganga Senevirathne (dressed in official ceremony clothing) , Aruna Darshana, Tharushi Karunarathne, Dilhani Lekamge, and Kyle Abeysinghe (dressed in official ceremony clothing) in Colombo where it was officially announced that six Sri Lankan athletes obtained their golden spots at 2024 Summer in Paris, France (Viren Nettasinghe not in the photograph) 

• To compete in athletics, badminton, and swimming

Sri Lanka will be represented by a 15-member team (six athletes, eight officials, and one chef de mission) at the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris from 26 July to 11 August.

Competitors who will participate in the Olympics are Viren Nettasinghe in the badminton men’s singles event, Ganga Senavirathne and Kyle Abeysinghe in swimming for the events of women’s 100m backstroke and men’s 100m freestyle respectively, and Tharushi Karunarathne, Nadeesha Lekamge, and Aruna Darshana in athletics for the events of women’s 800m, women’s javelin throw, and men’s 400m respectively.  

Viren Nettasinghe is currently ranked 74th in the world and has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to compete in the badminton men’s singles event. This achievement also marks him as the youngest individual on the list to secure a direct qualification for the Paris Olympic Games.

Ganga Senavirathne has earned her place with an achievement of 688 FINA points, while Kyle Abeysinghe qualified with an impressive 776 FINA points.

Nadeesha Dilhani Lekamge stands as the highest-ranked Sri Lankan athlete on the Paris Olympic Games ranking list. She is ranked 25th among the top 32 qualifiers. 

Tharushi Karunarathne, who clinched a gold medal in the 800m at the 19th Asian Games, is ranked 44th among the top 48 qualifiers. Aruna Darshana, ranked 47th among the top 48, is the only male track athlete participating in the Olympics this year. He is the first athlete from Sri Lanka to qualify for the Olympic 400m event after 20 years. 

The flag bearers of the Sri Lanka national flag at the opening ceremony on 26 July will be Nadeesha Lekamge and Viren Nettasinghe. 

The chef de mission of the team is National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka Assistant Secretary Chandana Liyanage.

This marks Sri Lanka’s 19th appearance at the Olympics, with the exception of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

MAS Holdings serves as the official clothing partner of the NOCSL for Paris 2024, providing uniforms that include tracksuits, t-shirts, shorts, and caps for the team. LOVI Ceylon serves as the official opening ceremony attire partner of Team Sri Lanka for Paris 2024 and MoraSpirit is on board to provide media support to Team Sri Lanka in partnership with the NOCSL.