Waidyatilleke to retire as a Technical Officer from 2018
View(s):P.H.D. Waidyatilleke, a renown International Technical Officer of the International Association of the Athletics Federation (IAAF) has decided to call it a day as an International Technical Officer (ITO).
Waidyatilleke, a former president of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka has been a technical officer in athletics during the last four decades and has been serving as an ITO since 2001. He has officiated in number of international events including the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, South Asian Games, World University Games, World and Asian Athletics Championships, Paralympic Games and IAAF Diamond League.” I am one of the few ITOs who continued from the very inception and I had the privilege of officiating at all major athletics championships,” he said commenting on his career as an ITO.
Waidyatilleke 73, said, the IAAF invited him to sit for the exam to be eligible to perform as an ITO during the next four years but he turned down the offer given his age. Only 45 individuals are selected by IAAF as ITOs.
“When I received the invitation to sit for the exam, I wrote to them that I feel that I can work for another year or two at the most in the field and I do not want to deprive an opportunity for another to enter the ITO panel,” he explained.
Waidyatilleke who is one of the nine Level II lecturers will, however continue to involve as a Technical Officials Education lecture imparting his knowledge and experience to the others.