Professor Shemal Fernando, an acclaimed international Olympic author and dignitary, has been appointed as the new Director General of Sports and will be responsible for development and implementation of sports programs island-wide in alliance with stakeholders as Sri Lanka looks to invest in elite athletes.
He is the first Sri Lankan to achieve a doctoral degree (PhD) in sports science and a winner of the Presidential Sports Award who is now a retired two-star ranked Admiral having held key director general posts at Naval headquarters.
Rear Admiral Fernando is also the first Sri Lankan to be honoured by the International Society of Olympic Historians.
As a sports philosopher he has lectured at numerous universities and published more than 200 papers in a variety of publications including the Olympic World Library and the Olympic Games and serves as an Associate Professor at the Institute of Sports Management.
He takes up his new appointment after serving as chef de mission in Sri Lanka’s contingent to the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the World Military Games in 2003 and 2007.
He is also a regular columnist for the Sunday Observer.