Dian Gomes heads Fencing Association
View(s):Former head of Sri Lanka Amateur Boxing Association (ABA), Dian Gomes was elected as the new president of National Association of Fencing in Sri Lanka (NAFSL), at its annual general meeting held last Monday.
Gomes, who served for five consecutive years as the president of ABA, is known as the architect of the renaissance of modern day
Dian Gomes
boxing in Sri Lanka and his expertise will prove to be vital for fencing as well. He was influential in offering strategic guidance to help Sri Lanka’s position in the global boxing map. Gomes was a frontline character in introducing fencing in the country in 2008.
“We are looking at the overall improvement of the sport, not only through nurturing champion fencers, but also fully qualified coaches and referees, so that the targets we have set become achievable, become possible. Progress towards international reckoning will come only if we are willing to go the distance, and fencing is a sport which is adaptable, especially to our Sri Lankan athletes who are passionate about representing their country against all odds”, commented Gomes.
Incumbent secretary general Kasuni Silva was re-elected to hold office for another tenure. Silva, who has been a livewire behind the progress of NAFSL, played an active role to inaugurate its national championships two years ago. By this time the NAFSL has conducted two national championships, the first at Panadura and last year at Koggala.
According to Silva at present the NAFSL has nine registered fencing clubs and conducts regular training for over 100 fencers in the country in Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Kandy, Kalutara, Kegalle and Kurunegala districts. The sport’s first international medals were won at the 2010 South Asian Fencing Championships held in Chennai, India. Sri Lanka continued their winning momentum at the 2012 South Asian Fencing Championships in Hyderabad, India, with the team winning 14 medals.
Having implemented a 2020 strategy to develop the sport at school and village level, NAFSL is also focusing on more technical aspects of the game, with referee and coaching camps aimed at increasing the resources and support services that will be readily available to support the increased requirement of the sport.
“It’s a great turning point for fencing as Dian (Gomes) takes leadership with his extensive experience in the sporting arena. We have focused our efforts on talent building and fencing education this year. Special focus will be given on areas such as coaching and refereeing resources. Building a strong platform on resources is vital for a technical sport like fencing. I’m confident that although it’s a relatively new sport to Sri Lanka, we have great potential for medals and victories internationally in near future,” Silva stressed.
Besides Gomes and Silva, 11 other officials were elected for four different positions. Nathan Sivagananathan and Harshana Hewammana were elected as vice presidents while Lakmali Suriyage was elected as assistant secretary. The treasurer’s position is filled by Nirmal Silva. Shamitha Kottegoda, Akash Hettiarachchi, Samanthi Weerasinghe, Janaka Masakkara, Husni Saliesh, Ranjan Madugalla and Ajith Siyambalapitiya are the executive members of NAFSL. – NA