Airtel Brand Ambassador Kumar inspires STC Rugby Team

Airtel Lanka’s Brand Ambassador and Sri Lankan cricketing legend Kumar Sangakkara recently spent an afternoon inspiring the S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia 1st XV rugby team, who are currently in the midst of a challenging season.

As part of the Brand’s commitment as sponsor of the S. Thomas’ College Rugby Team, Airtel Lanka gave the youngsters a rare opportunity to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience of one of Sri Lanka’s most successful sporting legends.

Prof. Indra de Soysa, the Warden of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia said that he was very grateful to Airtel Lanka for providing this opportunity for the young rugby players to meet with such a celebrated national sportsman. “Kumar is an icon in Sri Lankan sports and the insights he can offer will be of immense value to our young sportsmen. I’m sure the team gained many valuable tips which they can apply to their sporting careers.”

Drawing from his personal experiences from the cricketing field, Kumar spoke on the various characteristics that make up a team. While stressing on the point that there was “no secret formula to winning” he emphasized on the fact that success comes from each and every team member’s trust in each other, commitment to the team and themselves individually.

Suren Goonewardene, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of Airtel Lanka said, “At Airtel Lanka we have a strong ethos of enriching lives and this applies to every single association we involve ourselves in. We strongly believe that by providing such opportunities we can contribute towards an individual’s personal development and improve the quality of their lives.”

“Kumar is a true professional both on and off the field and the way he motivates the team from behind the stumps is critical to the performance of the team. We are very happy that we was able to share some thoughts and motivate our rugby team” Ana Saranapala - Coach of the S. Thomas’ College rugby team said.

Airtel Lanka recently made its foray into the field of sports sponsorships and has thus far been involved in schools rugby development, as evidenced by its sponsorship of S. Thomas’, St. Peter’s and Kingswood College’s Rugby teams for the next 2 years.