Prema conferred with NOC life membership
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Prema Pinnewale
Veteran sports administrator Prema Pinnewale was yesterday honoured by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) conferring him with the life membership of the organisation.
It is a well-deserved recognition for a brilliant career as a committed sports administrator. He served as NOCSL as its General Secretary for 14 years since 1983 and was instrumental in improving the management of the institution.
He currently serves as the Secretary of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka and works as the General Manager of Sarasavi bookshop.
Fondly known as Prema, he joined sports administration as an vice president of the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation and year later he began a new leaf in his illustrious career as the secretary general of the NOCSL while functioning as the General Manager of Sri Lanka Insurance.
His contribution to improve the management of NOCSL was immense. As soon as he was elected secretary general, along with Roy de Silva-the president, they were successful in securing an office for the secretariat at ‘Rakshan Mandiraya’–the headquarters of Sri Lanka Insurance. They also hired a paid employee to serve as administration secretary to bring in professionalism to the sports body.
As secretary general he played a key role with de Silva in organising the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the NOCSL where Olympian Duncan White graced the occasion as Chief Guest.They invited International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch to Sri Lanka. During IOC President’s visit NOC convinced President Samaranch to forge closer relationship with Olympic solidarity where
Sri Lanka became first recipient of the facility to start Olympic solidarity administration programs. This today forms an integral program for benefit of spots administrators to improve their knowledge and make sports management study and Olympic education more meaningful and productive.
His keen interest and leadership to inaugurate IOC solidarity sport administration courses along with four others saw him being appointed as National Course Director. In 1998 IOC solidarity appointed Prema as International Course Director Asia which enabled him to conduct several courses in India, Pakstan, Iran, Nepal, Brunai, Cambodia, Yemen and several other countries. After leaving NOCSL he served as Secretary General of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka for several stints, contributing to develop athletes.
Prema was also instrumental in organising the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka in 1991, the Asian Athletics Championships in 2002 and several Asian Grand Prix events and Asian junior track and field competitions in Sri Lanka.
For his contribution for athletics, the International Athletics Association awarded Prema with IAAF Veteran pin.