An old Anandian and the president of Colonel Henry Steele Olcott Sports Memorial Foundation; Bimal Wijayasinghe elected as the president of the long-delayed election of Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA), which should have been held a year ago, held today, March 12 at 10.00 am at the Duncan White Auditorium of the Ministry of Sports.

Bimal Wijayasinghe secured a significant victory at the Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) held today, at the ministry of sports, Colombo 07.

According to reports from the Duncan White Auditorium at the Ministry of Sports, Wijayasinghe was elected as the President of the Sri Lanka Athletics Association for the 2026–2028 term.

He contested the top post against former SLA President and veteran Olympian Sunil Gunawardena.

Wijayasinghe’s election marks the end of a long-delayed process for the governing body, which had been under temporary suspension by the Sports Ministry since August 2025 due to constitutional issues.

His candidacy was backed by a coalition of veteran administrators and coaches, including Sunil Jayaweera, Talavou Alailima, and Susantha Fernando.

During his campaign, Wijayasinghe vowed to “transform the domestic track and field sphere” and improve the welfare of athletes, with a specific focus on achieving medals at the global stage.

His win is viewed by many in the local sporting community as a “new beginning” for Sri Lankan athletics, aiming to revive the sport’s standards to the levels seen during the 1990s.