As the newly initiated avenue for the Rotary International year 2021-22, The Sports and Recreational Activities Avenue of the Rotaract Club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura braced itself to promote sportsmanship and raise awareness of the fundamental requirements to become better in sports, and this massive task was executed by a project “SPORTS INSIGHTS”

The Project was completely conducted as a virtual project, due to the Covid-19 pandemic prevailing in the country. As the 1st Phase of the project a PR campaign was carried out by posting a series of short videos on Sports Psychology, Sports Nutrition and Fitness. 

Kalana Perera, being a gifted cricketer who represented Sri Lanka in the Under-19 World cup 2018, spoke about how important sports psychology is to a sportsperson to reach their maximum levels.

Nigel Ratwatte, a talented Ruggerite, Former Captain of Kandy SC represented both Sri Lanka and Mauritius made us aware of the significant role played by nutrition when it comes to performances.

Last but not least, Amasha De Silva, a young speedster, and currently ‘the fastest woman’ in Sri Lanka taught us that Fitness is the key to progress step by step, towards the target.

A Panel discussion and Webinars were conducted as the 2nd Phase of the project. The Panel discussion, “Life Beyond the field’’ was facilitated by Mr.  K.R.D.C. Rathnamudali, Director of Physical Education of the University of Moratuwa and Visiting Lecturer of several Universities for Sports Sciences, and Mr. Thisara Jayasekara, Lecturer of National Institute of Sports Science, Visiting Lecturer of University of Kelaniya. They shared many valuable thoughts about the importance of diet and fitness in sports.

The first webinar of the project “The Champion’s Reveal’’ was graced by Mr. Dinesh Priyantha Herath who is the current Paralympic World Record holder in men’s javelin throw for the F46 category and also the Paralympic gold medalist in the particular event in 2021 Paralympics games. The webinar was conducted as a Q&A session and emphasized challenges he faced on and off the field, and sports enthusiasts were given tips on how to persevere despite obstacles and reflect on how adversity can make an athlete all stronger. 

The Final webinar was named “The Champion’s Way“ was facilitated by Mr. Yasitha De Silva, a renowned tennis champion who excelled both in his studies and reigned in both the National and International tennis arena participated in lots of tournaments and having a glorious sporting career. He guided the audience about how a player builds up his or her carrier success. The webinar was also conducted as a Q & A session and much valuable information was disclosed in the session. 

All the webinars and panel discussions were very interesting and informative for the audience and got many positive feedbacks. Although we had to carry out this project as a virtual event due to this pandemic situation, each and every session had around 100 participants and that’s helped conclude the project on a high note.

Written by Rtr. Supun Ransila