President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials of the Ministry of Sports to prepare plans to promote sports with the aim of producing athletes capable of achieving international success, fostering a sporting culture in the country and building a healthier population.

The President had given these instructions while participating in a discussion on the 2027 Budget proposals for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, held at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (29 October), the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a statement.

Pointing out that non-communicable diseases had become one of the major challenges facing the health sector, the President said that sports could play a significant role in addressing this challenge.He also emphasised the importance of changing public attitudes and encouraging greater participation in sports to promote active and healthy lifestyles.

The President further noted that although walking paths had been constructed across the country, some areas had yet to achieve the intended benefits from these facilities. He highlighted the need to introduce new programmes to encourage the public to make greater use of them.

Dissanayake also pointed out that maintaining an accurate and up-to-date database of sports grounds, walking paths, and indoor stadiums across the country would facilitate the proper planning of these programmes.

The discussion had also focused on new projects planned for 2027, including the establishment of a National High-Performance Centre to raise the performance of Sri Lankan athletes to international standards, the construction of a 400-metre synthetic running track in Anuradhapura, the completion of outstanding work and development of the Diyagama International Stadium, the upgrading of the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, and research on sports and exercise to be conducted jointly by sports medicine institutions and universities, the PMD added.