MAS Athlete Academy makes a monster leap

Mahesh Amalean (left) the co-founder and chairman of MAS Holdings and Prof Lalith Gamage the vice chancellor of SLIIT sign and seal the Agreement

• Partners with Information Technology institute SLIIT to take sport with Education to a higher level

The MAS Athlete Training Academy (MATA) announced a significant step forward in strengthening holistic athlete development with the formalising of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT).

The Agreement establishes the institution as MATA’s Higher Education Partner in a strategic collaboration that reinforces the belief that education and elite sport must progress hand in hand.

The MoU was signed on December 30, 2025 at Innovation by Twinery, bringing together leaders from the private sector and higher education to address a critical gap in Sri Lankan sport.

The agreement was formally signed by Mahesh Amalean, Co-Founder and Chairman of MAS Holdings, on behalf of MAS Athlete Training Academy, and Professor Lalith Gamage, Vice-Chancellor of SLIIT. Also in attendance were Professor Nimal Rajapaksha, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of SLIIT, alongside Ruwan Keragala and Isuru Gunaratne, Directors of MAS Athlete Training Academy (Guaranteed) Private Limited.

According to partnership, SLIIT will award five full bachelor’s degree scholarships annually for the next eight years to eligible MAS Athlete Training Academy athletes that ensures young athletes are empowered to pursue higher education while continuing their elite training and competitive journeys.

Speaking on the partnership, Amalean emphasised the importance of education in shaping future champions: “At MAS, we have always believed that the true strength of our nation lies in the potential of its youth. Our partnership with SLIIT reflects a shared commitment to creating an environment where young athletes in Sri Lanka are given equal opportunity, structured support and a clear pathway to pursue sporting excellence.

“Sport, by its very nature, demands peak performance within a limited window of time. As athletes progress through their careers, it is essential that education stands alongside sport not as an alternative, but as a foundation that sustains them beyond their competitive years.

“By integrating education with athletic development, we are helping shape balanced individuals and athletes who compete with excellence, think with clarity, and transition with confidence into the next phase of their lives. We are proud to partner with SLIIT in this endeavour and remain committed to building a platform that enables our young sportsmen and women to succeed both on the world stage and beyond it,” said Amalean.

Echoing the sentiment, Professor Gamage said the partnership assures athletes who dream big of a future they could look forward to. “As the Vice Chancellor of SLIIT, I firmly believe that the partnership between SLIIT and MAS to support young athletes in Sri Lanka is of great importance. Nurturing budding sporting talent is essential for fostering discipline, resilience and national pride among our youth,” he said. 

Since its launching in 2024, the MAS Athlete Training Academy has emerged as Sri Lanka’s first and largest public-private partnership dedicated to developing future Olympians. 

Beyond high-performance training, the Academy provides athletes with a comprehensive support ecosystem including structured coaching and competition pathways, nutritional support and sports science services, mental performance and wellbeing support, health insurance coverage and now through the partnership with SLIIT, robust academic and career progression opportunities.