Weightlifting is one of the oldest sports. According to its history, Kandy dominated this sport for a long period and produced several weight lifters who brought honour to the motherland and theirs Clubs. With these achievements Kandy became the hub for this Iron sport. All this was made possible due to the immense support and helping hand extended by Kandy YMCA, who were backed by the National Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry.
Weight Lifting was introduced to Sri Lanka as a sport in 1939 by an Englishman, G.J. P. Hill who was a serviceman, at a trial contest at the Colombo YMCA. This was followed by Kandy YMCA, but continued only till 1954. Nine years later in 1963, an interested Group formed the Sri Lanka Amateur Weight Lifting and Body Building Association with the intention of promoting the sport.
The newly formed Association conducted a trial meet for amateurs and continued till 1974. In the same year, a breakaway group of the bodybuilding section formed the Sri Lanka Amateur Body Building Association, in 1977, which later was named as Sri Lanka Weight Lifting Federation.
The Sri Lanka Weightlifting Federation became a member of Asian, Commonwealth and the International Body Building Federation.
SLWF expanded its activities to all parts of the country with the help of the Ministry of Sports and NOC.This is one sport that could bring International fame to our country with the support of the Ministry of Sport to lift the standard of the sport.
Today weightlifting is catching up in a big way in schools. At present even women are keenly interested in taking to this sport in a big way. The three Armed Forces too have taken it up to seriously develop the Iron sport.
Our Weightlifters won a bronze medal in Pakistan International Games in 1982. Since then locals have brought in many Silver and Bronze medals. Our weightlifters also fared well at the 1982 Asian Games and in 1984 Olympic Games in addition to several other International competitions. In 1986 one of our lifters at the Commonwealth Championships in Malta won a Bronze Medal.
During the time of the sports decline, lifters of the past S.A. Wijawickrema Snr and Jnr, A Dharmadasa, Maurice Windus, Niyas Majeed and a few others did their best to promote this sport.
T.S.J. Packeer Ally the doyen of Iron sport who revived the sport in Kandy after 40 years and a team comprising G.V.A. Croos (Bantam), S.A. Wijawickrema Jnr. (Feather), Mahesh Sabarathnam (Light), Niyas Majeed (Middle), W. S. K. Perera (Light) made a foreign tour.
The team was managed by J. Ranasinghe, T.S.J. Pakeer Ally (Coach) who was a FIFA qualified Football Coach. Linne Schoorman went as referee. This was to Peking.