COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb 27 (ePRESS) – In a career that has gone the distance and packed a powerful punch, Dian Gomes has been honoured with the SILK Award for the Most Outstanding Personal Contribution to Promote Sports in Sri Lanka, a tribute to a man who has carried Sri Lankan sport on his shoulders for over two decades.
From the boxing ring to international boardrooms, Gomes has been a game changer. When support was scarce and resources were thin on the ground, he stepped into the ring and refused to throw in the towel. The SILK Award now crowns a journey that transformed boxing, introduced fencing, strengthened governance, and created lifelines for hundreds of athletes.
As President of the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka during two key periods (2004–2009 and 2017–2024), Gomes put Sri Lanka back on the global boxing map. Under his watch, local fighters competed internationally with proper coaching, equipment and exposure.
At a time when government funding was limited, he personally financed ten fully equipped boxing rings worth nearly Rs. 4 million each for leading schools including Royal College, S. Thomas’ College, Trinity College, Ananda College, Nalanda College and others. It was not just about building rings — it was about building dreams.
As a long-serving official of the International Boxing Association (IBA), including eight years as a Director, he ensured Sri Lanka had a voice at the highest table of world boxing. He secured Rs. 10 million worth of equipment for local clubs and schools and organized international dual meets against nations such as India, Russia, Tanzania and Vietnam.
His efforts paid off in historic fashion when Anuruddha Ratnayake qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics — ending a 40-year Olympic drought in Sri Lankan boxing. It was a moment that proved the long game works.
During his extended tenure as President and Advisor, Sri Lankan boxing enjoyed what many call its golden era, winning medals at more than 100 international tournaments while increasing the number of internationally qualified coaches and officials.
Around 2008, Gomes introduced modern fencing to Sri Lanka — a sport almost unheard of at the time. With careful planning, funding and the recruitment of international coaches, he planted the seeds in ten schools.
Within a short span, Sri Lanka’s fencing teams were competing strongly in the South Asian region, even finishing runner-up at the South Asian Fencing Championship. What began as an experiment quickly became a structured national programme.
In 2013, Gomes became the first Sri Lankan appointed to the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS), helping shape sports policy at the Commonwealth level. He also served as Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and represented the nation as Chef de Mission at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
His international service with the IBA spanned over 20 years, including key roles in marketing, finance and diversity initiatives. In 2025, he was appointed as the only non-African member tasked with resolving major administrative issues within the African boxing structure — a rare honour that highlighted global trust in his leadership.
Gomes’ impact went beyond federations. Through his leadership roles at MAS Holdings, Hela and other corporate institutions, he created employment and sponsorship opportunities for over 200 athletes, including Olympians and Commonwealth Games medalists such as Anuruddha Ratnayake, Damayanthi Darsha and Ruwani Abeymanne.
He understood that athletes need more than medals — they need stability. By blending corporate careers with competitive sport, he ensured many sportsmen and women could build secure futures.
During MAS’s golden era in sports, company teams dominated national and mercantile championships in boxing, water polo, swimming, badminton, volleyball and fencing. The MAS cricket team, strengthened by national stars including Tillakaratne Dilshan and Farveez Maharoof, won the Mercantile Cricket Championship, while rugby icons Haris Omar and Fazil Marija powered the MAS rugby sevens side to multiple titles.
A former four-time flyweight champion and Junior National Flyweight Champion himself, Gomes never forgot his roots. Educated at Royal College, Colombo, he later influenced the Amalean family of MAS Holdings to invest one million US dollars to build the MAS Royal Arena — now one of the country’s leading indoor sports venues.
Completed in record time, the arena stands today as a symbol of vision and partnership, hosting major boxing tournaments and corporate sporting events.
Gomes has often been described in local media as the “Godfather” of Sri Lankan boxing. His service was formally recognised when he received the prestigious national title “Sri Lanka Sikhamani” from former President Maithripala Sirisena at the National Honours Awards Ceremony — one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
The SILK Award now adds another chapter to a story defined by grit, vision and staying power.
In sport, champions are remembered for medals. But some figures leave a deeper mark — they change the rules of the game itself. Dian Gomes did exactly that.
And long after the final bell has rung, his legacy will continue to inspire generations of Sri Lankan athletes to step into the arena and believe they too can go the distance.
