Sri Lanka Olympians, together with the Department of Forest Cotnservation, conducted a tree planting programme at the premises of D. S. Senanayake National School, Dambulla.
Sri Lanka Olympians conduct a tree planting programme every year at a selected school in one province.
Accordingly, this year’s event was successfully held with the participation of Olympians, students and a large number of enthusiasts at Dambulla.
Name plates of 77 living Olympians out of the 107 who have represented Sri Lanka were placed beside each planted sapling.
According to Sri Lanka Olympians the purpose of this tree planting initiative is to “instill in students a sense of respect and pride for Olympians and sports, to emphasize the value of physical well-being, to inspire future champions through sports, to highlight the importance of trees and encourage environmentally conscious behavior, and to contribute as much as possible to controlling global warming through social responsibility.”
The success of this event was made possible through the support and assistance of the Director and officers of the Na-Ulla/Matale Regional Forest Conservation Department, the Director of Education of the Central Province, Athula Jayawardena – Provincial Director of Sports, Lalitha Kumarihami – Principal of D. S. Senanayake National School and the academic staff, Janaka Wijesinghe – Principal of Dambulla Central College along with principals of nearby schools, the Director of the Galewela Zonal Education Office, sports directors, teacher instructors, sports teachers, and the many school children who actively participated.
Representing the Sri Lanka Olympians at this event were the Deputy Minister of Sports and Committee Member Sugath Thilakaratne, President Sriyani Kulawansha, Secretary Ruwini Abeymanna, Treasurer Nimmi de Soysa, and Committee Members Anuruddha Ratnayake, Pushpamali Ramanayake, Thamara Samandipika and K.T. N. Perera.
