Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 9, 2026: The Athletes’ Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka concluded a two-day Athletes Forum 2026 designed to prepare the island-nation’s emerging sporting talent for the demands of high-performance sport and life beyond competition.
Organised under the leadership of Olympian Niluka Karunaratne, Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission of NOC Sri Lanka, the forum was driven by the Athletes First concept, an initiative of Karunaratne himself.
The residential forum held on July 1-2 brought together 62 athletes from 25 sports with 100 percent gender parity, underscoring the NOC’s commitment to inclusive athlete development and equal opportunities across the sporting landscape.
The intensive programme was carefully curated to provide athletes with the knowledge, skills and confidence to excel both on and off the field of play. A panel of experts shared their knowledge across a range of topics extending beyond technical sporting performance.
These topics included Olympic values, athlete safeguarding, prevention of competition manipulation, anti-doping, sports nutrition, sports medicine and injury prevention, and how to handle the media spotlight.
There were also sessions on Athlete365 and education programmes tailored for life after competition.
NOC Sri Lanka President Asanga Seneviratne attended the forum reaffirming the NOC’s commitment to investing in the continuous development of Sri Lankan athletes and supporting them beyond competition.
