International Boxing Referee, Judge Udeni Kiridena does Sri Lanka proud in Rio
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Udeni Kiridena, a name synonymous with Boxing, has done Sri Lanka proud on being selected a Referee, Judge for the Rio Olympic Games 2016, by the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA). Kiridena’s achievement, according to sources, is an honour to Sri Lanka, as he is one of the best international Boxing Referees selected through stringent criteria. An alumni of Trinity College, Kandy, he began his Boxing career at the tender age of 11, following in his father’s footsteps, he won the Pin-weight title in his very first Tournament in the Central Province. Kiridena’s passion for Boxing took him from strength to strength and saw him reach the highest rungs in the sport.
He won in his weight category at the T.B. Jayah Cup, the Stubbs Shield, the Junior National Championships and was adjudged Best Boxer at the Stubbs Shield in 1982. Kiridena received the coveted Boxing Lion at Trinity in 1982 and was Captain of the Trinity Boxing team in 1983, which bagged the Stubbs Shield after a lapse of three decades. He was coached by veterans Bobby Jayaweera, S.B. Kiridena, Sarath Jayasinghe and Leslie Handunge. After he hung up his gloves, Kiridena was involved in training the Air Lanka Boxing team. Thereafter, he was involved in the administration of the Sri Lanka Boxing Association (SLBA), serving as Treasurer of the Boxing Referees and Judges Association for 5 years.
He later went on to serve as Assistant Secretary, Vice President and finally as President of the SLBA for the period 2009-2010. In 1993, he passed the National Boxing Referees and Judges Examination with distinction, and in 2002, became a Continental Referee and Judge, topping the batch. Kiridena qualified as an International Judge in 2006, and was promoted International Referee & Judge in 2008. He became a 3-star International Boxing Referee in 2010, enabling him to officiate at top international tournaments worldwide. In 2014, he passed the AIBA Pro-Boxing and World Series Boxing Examination held at the AIBA Academy in Kazakhstan.
It was Donald Munasinghe who was responsible for mentoring Kiridena as a Boxing Referee and the Embuldeniya couple — Herbert and Eva — who guided him on the finer points of officiating at international level. In his illustrious career as a Referee and Judge, Kiridena officiated in many tournaments worldwide including APB, WSB Olympic trials, European Olympic Trials, World Championships, Junior World Championships, Youth Olympic Games, Women’s World Junior and Youth Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Championships to name a few.
In 2015, he became the first Sri Lankan to Referee and Judge at AIBA Pro-Boxing events and continues to date, as the only Sri Lankan to officiate at this level. By profession, he is a Chartered Insurer and an Associate Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of the UK. A Senior Associate of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and also an Associate Member of the Indian Insurance Institute. Kiridena is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Sri Lanka Insurance Institute.