Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 8, 2025: Sport has helped bring communities together in Sri Lanka says Katie Speldewinde, the winner of the Asian Youth Reporter project conducted by the OCA, the organising committee for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, and the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka.
In her winning essay, the 17-year-old Speldewinde wrote: “I believe that through sport, through supporting one team, one athlete, we are no longer Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim or Burgher. We are Sri Lankan.”
While most of the 16 other participants dwelled specifically on sports or the significance of the Asian Games, among other themes, Speldewinde, from the Sri Lanka College of Journalism, also touched on the 30-year-old civil war which ended in 2009 and had split the country across ethnic lines.
“Sport brings people together. And it’s not just about bringing people from different countries together, it's about creating unity among individuals from the same country as well, as in the case of Sri Lanka where a 30-year-old civil war pitted ethnic groups against each other.
“The Asian Games is a global platform for athletes from all across Asia to showcase their talent. It’s an event of hope, dedication, determination and drive. It is also an event that gives young people like me opportunities that make our dreams come true,” Speldewinde said.
Speldewinde, who is also the founder of Sri Lankan sports network P.L.A.Y. – Passion, Leadership, Action, Youth standing as the four pillars – will join the OCA media team at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
She will join other young reporters from Bhutan, Tajikistan, Mongolia and Lebanon. It is hoped that 10 young reporters from across Asia will be in Nagoya next year.
The Asian Youth Reporters project - which has been around since 2012 – is part of the OCA’s Asian Games for All initiative. This includes the Fun Run and the Children’s art and drawing competition, all three of which are aimed at raising the profile of the Asian Games.
The AYR essay competition was held on Sunday, September 7, but the result was announced at the Fun Run in Mount Lavinia, a suburb just outside Colombo, on Monday.
The next leg of this promotional campaign will be held in Jordan from September 12-13.
