Tokyo Olympics 2020 Karunaratne, Abeysinghe and Dharmawardena leading contenders to captain Sri Lanka

By Susil Premalal

The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) is to decide within the next few days the most suitable candidate to lead the Sri Lanka team at the Tokyo Olympic Games, NOCSL President Suresh Subramaniam told the ‘Daily Mirror’.

The postponed Olympic Games is scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8.

Equestrian Mathilda Karlsson is the only athlete to qualify for the Games while gymnast Milka Gehani de Silva and shooter Tehani Egodawela have gained entry through the Tripartite Commission Invitation Place quota for the 2020 Olympics. 

Swimmers Mathew Abeysinghe and Aniqah Gaffoor are expected to secure their place through the Universal Places or ‘wildcard category’, the NOCSL president said.

Meanwhile, shuttle star Niluka Karunaratne, judoka Chamara Dharmawardena and several athletes are still vying to achieve qualification to the Games. 

If they don’t gain qualification before June 29, they will likely be selected from the wildcard quota.
Karunaratne, who represented Sri Lanka in London (2012) and Rio (2016), is an experienced campaigner and previously led the contingent.

 In addition, 2016 and 2019 SAG (South Asian Games) gold medallist Abeysinghe and judoka Dharmawardena both have experience of representing the country in the Rio Olympics. Being the most senior Olympians, the trio of Karunaratne, Abeysinghe and Dharmawardena are the leading contenders to captain the Sri Lanka team at the Tokyo Games.

“We have not still selected the captain of the team for the Olympics. The reason is because sports like wrestling, weightlifting and athletics are still trying to achieve qualification. There could be others who qualify or gain wild card entry,” Subramaniam said. NOCSL treasurer Gamini Jayasinghe has been appointed as Chef de Mission of the Sri Lanka contingent for the Games.