‘Home coming’ for gymnast Tiana

Tiana Sumanasekera

Sri Lanka formally gives the nod for overseas born athletes

By Susil Premalal

It has been decided to formally provide opportunities for talented athletes of Sri Lankan origin living overseas to represent the country in international competitions, marking a significant policy shift aimed at strengthening the nation’s sporting future.

As an immediate step under this initiative, the Ministry of Sports has officially granted rising gymnastics star Tiana Sumanasekera, who resides in the United States, the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka at international gymnastics competitions.

The move follows previous successes involving overseas-based athletes of Sri Lankan heritage. Marathon runner Hiruni Wijayaratne, based in the United States, and equestrian athlete Matilda Karlsson, who has lived in Sweden and Germany, have both represented Sri Lanka at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games.

Coinciding with the announcement, Sports Minister Sunil Gamage extended an open invitation to athletes of Sri Lankan origin living around the world to represent the island.

Gamage also emphasised that the Ministry of Sports is prepared to undertake all necessary coordination and logistical arrangements for overseas based athletes willing to represent Sri Lanka on the international stage.

Several footballers of Sri Lankan origin residing in various European countries were given the opportunity to represent the island two years ago through a programme initiated by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). 

Many of those players are now regular members of the Sri Lanka football team and continue to represent the country at international competitions.

The programme, introduced under the leadership of FFSL president Umar Jaswar, has already produced encouraging results. Sri Lanka’s FIFA world ranking has improved from 205th to 185th during this period, highlighting the positive impact of integrating overseas-based players into the national setup.

Tiana Sumanasekera, who has now officially secured eligibility to represent Sri Lanka, was born in California, United States, and spent more than five years representing the USA. She was a gold medallist at the Pan American Gymnastics Championships and served as an Olympic alternate for the United States squad at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Sports officials believe that the decision of world-class athletes such as Sumanasekera to compete for Sri Lanka could mark the beginning of a new era in the country’s sporting history.

With gymnastics receiving relatively limited representation across South Asia, including Sri Lanka, the Ministry noted that Sumanasekera’s primary ambition is to win international medals for Sri Lanka and help elevate the country’s standing in the sport on the global stage.