With a sporting resume bearing one of Sri Lanka's brightest athletic prospects Shehan Ambepitiya, Gateway College has already asserted itself as an institution that should not be overlooked in sporting circles. This is an assertion the administration of the school is keen to fortify, envisioning contributions to the national ranks in not only athletics, but a much wider spectrum of sports.

Achieving this will take much of the continued dedication and commitment the school and its young sportsmen often implement during competition. It is these two qualities that have seen the school announce itself annually as a strong contender for the Inter-International School Athletic meet, an event which in the past Gateway has won seven times.

This success is not surprising considering that personalities like the school's Head of Sports, Dervin Perera, who has worked with the likes of Susanthika Jayasinghe, is at the helm of the athletics programme.

"The school wants to give talented athletes, who do not have proper opportunities to compete and develop, as much support as possible," reveals Mr. Perera. The sports head, who previously served as a National Coach, adds that there is a steady stream of up and coming athletes from the school, blossoming in Shehan's wake.

"There is Nadeeshani Henderson who has National Colours and has fared well in several school and national meets. We also have promising athletes in the younger age groups, such as Under 17 sprinter Thilan Wijesekera," he explains.

However Gateway's triumphs in athletics alone are not what keeps its sporting reputation afloat, as demonstrated last month, when the school emerged All-Island Under 17 Basketball Champions.
Reaching the finals of the tournament, after shouldering past the formidable St. Michael's and St. Peter's, they slogged their way to a 64-57 victory over St. Joseph's College. Bolstering the significance of this feat, were the performances of Dhanushka Gunasekera and Shehan Udugampola, which was them the 'Most Valuable Player of the Finals' and 'Best Defensive Player' trophies respectively.

Gateway's progress in cricket is also more than noteworthy and should not be disregarded. Throughout this year they have managed to consistently book a semi-final berth in many of the inter-international school tournaments.

In the Under 15 Inter-International tournament they were shunted out by Royal Institute while in the Under 19 tournament they came up second best to the boys from Lyceum Nugegoda. One of Gateway's Directors, Dr. Harsha Alles, explains that the school invests a lot of time and financial resources into sports development and this makes the achievements of students such as Shehan Ambepitiya and swimmer Minuruwani Samarakoon even more gratifying.

At a ceremony last year, which honoured the country's top school athletes, both Shehan and Minuruwani were named Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively.

The chief catalyst behind much of Gateway's success is its ability to provide all its students with constant access to sporting venues and facilities. Sadly however the school still cannot call many of these its own. This is a worrying footnote for the school, one which a plush new complex, currently under construction, seeks to dispel.

The structure itself- covered in some areas with metal scaffolding and in others with fresh paint and cement- is nestled at the back of the parent school in Rajagiriya. The complex Manager, Sajith Liyanage gives his fervent assurance that work on it will draw to close at the end of this year. Once completed, the complex will house courts for racquet sports such as Badminton and Squash as well as a gym and swimming pool.

"Once we have a facility like this in place we can be sure to see our students moving forward to achieve even greater things in sports," he prophesizes.