Gateway students named in basketball, scrabble and chess national teams

Gateway College continues to shine on the national stage, with eight more students selected to represent Sri Lanka in three sports: basketball, scrabble and chess. This latest achievement follows the recent selection of nine Gateway athletes to the national squads in football, squash and athletics, further affirming the school’s commitment to a well-rounded, holistic education. 

In a landmark moment for Gateway College, Colombo, five outstanding students have been selected to the national pool of 16 for the FIBA South Asia Basketball Association (SABA) Under-16 Men’s Championship 2025, to be held in the Maldives from June 12-15. 

The selected students are Dulain James Theverapperuma - a seasoned national player with prior appearances at the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Doha and the 2023 SABA Qualifiers in Colombo, Ashain George Theverapperuma - a consistent top performer across all age groups, who is the youngest in the group, Navidu Damsiha Waduwavala - known for his strength and presence as a centre and power forward, Samuel Gerard Li Ming Tsung - a versatile player who covers multiple positions including small forward, shooting guard, and point guard, and Jedd Dassanayaka – a player with international experience, who has played in Australia’s State A Division REP U15 Championship and the Blackburn Vikings REP A Group in Victoria.

Adheesha Dissanayake continues to make waves in the world of competitive scrabble. The reigning National Champion has earned his place to represent Sri Lanka at the World English-Language Scrabble Players Association Championship (WESPAC), in Accra, Ghana, in November. 

Gateway’s chess players are also carving their names on the international circuit. Among them are Yonal Sumanathilaka, a rising star who secured a bronze medal in the Under-17 Open category at the 18th Asian Schools Chess Championship 2024 in Bangkok, and Losara Kulatunga, who will represent Sri Lanka in the Western Asian Junior Chess Championship 2025 (Under-20 Open category) hosted in Waskaduwa from June 5-11.