Sri Lanka Olympian and badminton player Niluka Karunaratne bid an emotional farewell at the Olympic House on Thursday (7) commemorating an illustrious career and launched the OLY Niluka Karunaratne Foundation.
He expressed his heartfelt gratitude especially to his parents who he said were always behind him throughout his career and at the same time did not forget to mention his sporting fraternity, friends, supporters and all those who contributed in his remarkable journey.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country and sport at the highest level. I am immensely grateful for the unwavering support I have received throughout my career,” said Karunaratne.
Karunaratne had officially announced his retirement on October 1, 2023, at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
However, his formal farewell was conducted on March 7, 2024, in the presence of the sporting fraternity, family and friends at the Olympic House.
Karunaratne embarked on his sporting journey at the tender age of eight in 1993. His illustrious career saw him clinch his first national title in 2001, setting a record as the youngest badminton national champion in Sri Lanka, a record that still stands to this day.
Over a span of 22 years, Karunaratne competed in three Olympic Games – London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Notably, he captained the Sri Lanka Games contingent at the London 2012 Olympics, in addition to participating in six Commonwealth Games and two Asian Games.
Karunaratne holds the distinction of being the sole Sri Lankan badminton player to attain international acclaim, achieving a world ranking of 34. His achievements include 34 international medals, with five gold medals across all five continents.
His best achievement was when he beat the world number eight ranked player in the first round at the London Olympic Games 2012.
Currently, Karunaratne serves as the Chairman of the Athletes’ Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka.
In addition, Karunaratne launched the “OLY Niluka Karunaratne Foundation” with the objective of supporting athletes locally and internationally, aiming to enhance the quality of sport through athlete assistance programs.
As an initial gesture of support, the foundation provided its first Grant to sprinter Yupun Abeykoon, who is striving to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In the absence of Abeykoon, his manager Sanjaya Ganlath accepted the Grant.
