The dream merchant

Dian Gomes recently celebrated his 50th birthday and shows no signs of stopping. On the contrary, life seems to be running out of opportunities for him to exploit.

He declines to say how much sleep he allows himself but any reservations about taking up his time are quickly crushed by his geniality.

He is motivated as you would expect of an ex-national boxer but his ties with the sport go much deeper than just former participation. He is on a personal mission to rebuild the country’s reputation in the ring by taking a hands-on approach to revive what he sees as Sri Lanka’s dying sport.

“We used to be a boxing nation. Since the 60s almost all sports here have nose-dived. No-one has had a vision. No-one has driven sports as a corporate entity.”

As president of the Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka, he is witnessing the fruition of a five-year strategy that was sparked by a moment of humility in Kathmandu. Having won a gold medal, Sumith Prasanna immediately removed his prize and placed it around the neck of Dian Gomes.

“I went to the S.A.F. games in Kathmandu in 1999 as an observer and official and saw that boxing had potential for improvement.”

Having become the youngest ever qualified judge at 21, he gave it up to pursue his career but then an ex-team mate and current Vice President of the ABASL, Jagath Jayasuriya and current Chairman of the National Olympic Committee, Hemasiri Fernando, suggested that he resurrect the sport.

“As CEO of Slimline, I recruited five schoolboys and opened the Slimline boxing club at Pannala. Within two years we had national champions.”

The appointment of top Cuban coach, Frometa Matos paid dividends in the form of two bronze medals earned by Kamal Sameera and Harsha Kumara at the Commonwealth Boxing Championships in Scotland in 2005.

In the same year, Manju Wanniarachchi claimed Bantamweight silver at the King’s cup in Thailand.

In 2006 the women distinguished themselves by collecting one gold and three bronze at the Asian Women’s Open Championships in Hanoi.

But sometimes life throws up unlikely obstacles. A seldom considered aid to boxing decline was the geographical ramifications generated by the break-up of the Soviet Union.

“Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan etc. have excellent boxing pedigrees and, as independent nations, they’re in Asia. This makes life difficult for all Asian nations. Since we have to qualify from the Asian sector, it’s very tough. Cuba aside, Russia is probably the best boxing nation on Earth.”

The focus is on the light-fly, fly, feather and Bantam weight categories and Gomes is far from content to direct matters from a distance. He enthusiastically acts as second to his charges. On fight night, he’s ringside rinsing gum-shields and getting the first whiff of blood and sweat.

He has also been known to spar with his employees. “Boxing teaches you patience and how to check your temper. It builds character and teaches you to fight clean.”

“Progress in the last four years has been satisfactory but winning gold at the Asian Games, gold at the Commonwealth Games and Olympic qualification is my ultimate dream.”

With Beijing in mind, three fighters travelled to Chicago recently for the World Championships where Olympic berths were on offer. A quarter-final standing meant Olympic qualification.

Bantamweight, Manju Wanniarachchi fell one bout short to the Russian Sergey Vodopyanov and Kamal Sameera failed to make it past the preliminary round in the featherweight category, falling to the Belarusian Mikhail Biamadski.

Anuruddha Ratnayake however, has provided cause for celebration. He earned his ticket to China after a quarter-final bout with Italy’s Vicenzo Picardi. Picardi won but is this a dream realised?

“I had faith that at least one of our three would get to Beijing. This doesn’t spell the end for the other two. I will continue to have faith in them.”

All this progress is impressive but looking at the wider picture, boxing is just one of many sports that are being nurtured in Gomes’ corporate / sporting ideal. As a group director of MAS holdings, he currently employs 95 sportsmen and women who represent Sri Lanka in 21 sports. “When I first went to Pannala in 1992, I saw real life. I saw athletes who weren’t getting a fair chance, people with potential but no means. I recruited these people because anyone with a sporting mentality knows how to take knocks. They know how to respond positively to defeat. They have passion and a will to improve.”

This ideal doesn’t just apply to the production line but all through the managerial structure creating a seldom seen corporate equality. It’s odd for a man who has been quoted as wishing to retire on his 50th birthday to have a long-term strategy for anything except perhaps golf but his ultimate goal lies, if not in Beijing, then in London in 2012.Oh, just one other thing. How do his employees react when the boss asks them to hit him as hard as they can? He laughs. “I may hold up a sparring glove but I don’t get in the ring. I just can’t take the punches anymore.”