The Foundation of Goodness (FoG) is pleased to announce that six swimmers from Seenigama and its region have performed excellently and were ranked in the ‘Top 10 Swimming Championship 2008’ held at the stadium of Ananda College, Colombo, on 7-9 November 2008.

Seenigama Aquatic Team makes headlines
at ‘Top 10 Swimming Championship 2008’

This latest achievement follows a recent spate of winners from in and around Seenigama that have attained glory in the areas of volleyball, art, cricket and education.

The Six Swimmers
The six swimmers will now represent the region and will be known as the Seenigama Aquatic Team.

W. Tharushi Lakshani was placed in three events
of the meet in the U-14 category

13 year old W. Tharushi Lakshani – a student of Kularathna MV, Ambalangoda, has been training since 2007 at the Bryan Adams Swimming Pool and is a keen swimmer. Her hard work training four days a week was rewarded when she bagged 7th place in the 50m backstroke, 8th place in 50m freestyle and 9th place in the 50m breaststroke.

W. Lakshitha Manoj has been training for 4 years

W. Lakshitha Manoj a 14 year old student from Thotagamuwa Vijayaba MV has been training to swim since 2005 and dedicates four day per week to this sport, which is his passion. He was ranked 7th in the 50m breaststroke at the meet, in the U-16 category.

D.H. Chameera Sandaruwan place 3rd in 50m butterfly event

D.H. Chameera Sandaruwan won 3rd place in the 50m butterfly event in the U-19 category with a timing of 34.36 seconds.
This 18 year old from Sri Sumangala MV, Hikakduwa has trained since 2007 for four days a week and was pleased with his success. He also bagged 8th place in the 100m freestyle and 6th place in the 50m freestyle.

W.A.K. Amila Lala Danushka performs well
at yet another aquatic meet

18 year old W.A.K. Amilalal Danushka of Sri Sumangala MV has trained since 2002 for four days a week. He excelled in three events of the meets U-19 category - 7th place in the 50m freestyle, 6th place in the 50m butterfly and 6th place in the 100m freestyle. This isn’t the first occasion Amilalal has won at a swimming meet. Earlier in the year he won the Sri Lanka Novices Aquatic Championship 50m free-style event conducted by the Sri Lanka Aquatic Sports Union where he also won third place in the 100m free-style event.

D. Lakruwan Wijesiri came 4th in two events at meet

D. Lakruwan Wijesiri is an 18 year old from Sri Wimala Buddhi MV, Seenigama who has been training since 2007. The four days per week hard work training he has put in paid off when he won 4th place in the meets 50m freestyle and 4th place for 100m freestyle in the U-19 age group. He also won 7th place for 50m breaststroke.

P.H. Nuwan Pushpakumara excels in
the Over-19 category at the meet

P.H. Nuwan Pushpakumara a 19 year old from Sri Wimala Buddhi MV has been training four days a week since 2007. He was happy to have been placed in events and came 4th in the 100m freestyle, 6th place in the 50m breaststroke and 9th in the 50m freestyle.

The Seenigama Aquatic Team spurred by this recent victory is now focused on making a name at the swimming meet which is the ‘R.M.P Silva Memorial Age Group Swimming Championship 2008’ a three day event which gets underway on 21st December at Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, swimming pool.

Magnanimous Donor & Sponsor
The success at the ‘Top 10 Swimming Championship 2008’ was enabled by a combination of talent and resources; resources in the form of facilities and coaching.

Swimmers train at the Bryan Adams Swimming Pool

It is thanks to the magnanimous gesture of the world famous rock star Mr. Bryan Adams who donated a world class swimming pool to benefit the people of Seenigama and its regions. The only one of its kind in the south the ‘Bryan Adams Swimming Pool’ has been the training arena for these six and other talented and budding swimmers.

Harnessing the talent of these six swimmers has been a task entrusted to two coaches Mr. Janaka Lal – who has been a fine long distance swimmer of repute in his day and Ms. Yamuna Shyamali – who is also of a similar background from the rural sector. Both have been sponsored by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which has through the “power of sport” been doing wonderful work transforming the lives of children and youth in and around Seenigama.

The Foundation of Goodness (FoG) is honoured to be associated with both Laureus and the Bryan Adams Foundation and to have been the vehicle through which facilities have been provided to rural people, to bring out the best in them.

People born in coastal regions around the island have a natural tendency to be good swimmers and as such taking to water is second nature to people of Seenigama and its regions. The founder/trustee of the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) Kushil Gunasekera is happy this natural inbuilt talent has had an opportunity to blossom. Explaining he said “largely owing to Mr. Bryan Adams consenting without hesitation to making this magnificent swimming pool a reality – is certainly something extra ordinary in the context of a rural village. I have seen very often how the children and youth from the coastal areas swim in the ocean with wild strokes, but to watch them now under squad training in refined style gives all of us such happiness that is hard to describe. Results now speak for themselves and how hard they will try to reach the top, because Mr. Bryan Adams and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation cared to make a positive difference in taking this sport to a different level altogether by providing equal opportunities to excel. The challenge into the future is sustainability and with the help of Laureus Sport for Good Foundation we are likely to overcome this fear.”   

“Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you get.”
- Dale Carnegie

2008.12.01