• An achievement to be celebrated by all: NOCSL President 

Sri Lankan boxer Niraj Wijewardana ended his campaign by winning a Bronze medal at the 13th Taipei City Cup International Boxing Meet after his campaign ended in the semi-final bout, losing finally on points to Taiwanese boxer Huang Guan-Qun after it went the full distance.

Sadly for the Sri Lankan boxer, his sustained injury to his left hand (wrist and below) in his earlier remarkable win against his Taipei opponent prevented him from throwing his usual powerful left punches and hooks in the semi-final.

Nevertheless, the Sri Lankan pugilist from Kandy can stand tall as he achieved three goals for himself prior to embarking on this tour: firstly to win a medal, secondly to achieve that much-needed valuable international experience and exposure, and thirdly to prove his critics wrong. 

However, he seems to have achieved much more with much interest created both locally and amongst the international boxing communities.

Special mention must be made of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) for stepping forward to fully fund and support this boxer, Niraj Wijewardana, to compete in this event. This comes after the NOCSL commenced supporting boxers and officials under its Olympic Charter, especially after the International Olympic Committee banned the International Boxing Association, of which the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is currently a member. 

Meanwhile, BASL Vice President Lt. Col. (Retd) Hemantha Weerasinghe had sent a petition to Taipei City Boxing Association President Kau Chik Lai regarding Wijewardana, who had been fully funded by the NOCSL to participate in this tournament.

When contacted, NOCSL President Suresh Subramaniam said: “It was a remarkable achievement by Niraj to come back home with a Bronze medal. The NOCSL is there to provide support and serve players and officials related to sports and will always continue to do so. 

“It is sad indeed that BASL Vice President Hemantha Weerasinghe had to send a so-called petition. Instead, he should have been supportive towards the athlete and thanked Taiwan for providing the boxer with an opportunity to compete. This very clearly shows the true intentions of some of the administrators. Niraj winning a medal at this tournament should be a celebratory occasion for all of us.”