Prema Pinnawela iconic promoter of Olympic sports no more

By Susil Premalal

Iconic and respected Olympic sports administrator Prema Pinnawala passed away yesterday and his funeral will take place today at 1.30 pm at the General Cemetery in Borella.

The remains of the late Pinnawala are currently lying at the Jayaratne funeral parlour in Borella.

Pinnawala served as the General Secretary of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) for 14 consecutive years from 1983 to 1997. In addition, he held long-standing positions as Vice President and General Secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics, contributing significantly to the development of the sport over several decades.

He passed away at the age of 88. He also briefly served as a sports consultant to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Pinnawala played a pioneering role in securing hosting rights for major international sporting events for Sri Lanka, including the 1991 and 2006 South Asian Games, the 2002 Asian Senior Athletics Championships, and the 2012 Asian Junior Athletics Championships. 

Through his strong international sporting relationships, he made a notable contribution to the advancement of Sri Lankan athletes and sports officials on the global stage.

He was also known for his personal commitment to athlete welfare, often providing assistance to competitors and officials participating in international events. Among Sri Lankan sports journalists and administrators, he was widely regarded as a popular and approachable figure.

According to his sports career history, Pinnawala was an illustrious personality in Sri Lankan athletics. Emerging as a sportsman from Christian College in Kotte in the 1950s, he entered sports administration in 1963 as President of the Sports Council of the University of Peradeniya. In the late 1960s, he became a committee member of the Ceylon Athletics Association and rose to the post of Vice President in 1978.

He was appointed General Secretary of the National Olympic Committee in 1983, a position he held for 14 years until 1997. He later served as General Secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics from 1998 and retired in 2023 after decades of dedicated service.

Recently, he was awarded the Senior Veteran Pin of Honour by World Athletics in recognition of his outstanding contributions. His extensive service also included roles as Secretary of the South Asian Sports Council, Secretary of the Asian Olympic Council Media Committee, and Council Member of the Asian Athletics Association.

Beyond sports administration, he also served as General Manager of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation for several years and contributed significantly to the Nationalised Service Sports Association.

He is survived by his wife, Jayani Pinnawala, a senior administrative officer and retired former Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Sports, and their two daughters.