Continuing their work towards its ambitious goal of preparing a medal-winning Sri Lankan contingent for the 2028 Los Angeles and 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, the MAS Athlete Training Academy is on a mission to put Sri Lanka on the global athletics map as a powerhouse in the sport.
The Daily Morning spoke to one of the driving forces behind the operations of the programme, a director in the academy – Isuru Gunaratne.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
Walk us through the beginnings of the academy, whose brainchild was it?
The MAS Athlete Training Academy is very much the brainchild of MAS Holdings Co-Founder and Chairperson Mahesh Amalean whose personal belief in the untapped potential of Sri Lankan athletics laid the platform for this initiative. At the launch, he spoke about how every Olympic medal in Sri Lanka’s history has come from athletics, yet the sport has long been under-supported, particularly as many of the country’s most successful athletes have come from rural and economically challenged backgrounds. For him, this was not just about sport, but about giving young people from every corner of Sri Lanka the opportunity to dream bigger and compete on equal footing with the world’s finest.
Building on that vision, the MAS leadership team came together with a shared determination to create something unprecedented for the country. We believed that athletics was an area where a focused, long-term investment could transform not only individual lives, but also the nation’s sporting identity. Leveraging our expertise in innovation, performance technology, and strong partnerships with national institutions, the team designed a structured development platform that would give athletes the right training, nutrition, educational backing, and international exposure.
Tell us a little about what this academy truly means?
The MAS Athlete Training Academy is not just another programme. It is a new start for athletics in Sri Lanka. For years, we have seen talented athletes emerge, but many of their successes happened without proper facilities, guidance, or long-term support to help them to maximise their potential. This academy tries to change that narrative, by creating a structured system where young athletes can grow step by step, with the right training, resources, and care to compete at the highest level.
For the athletes themselves, the academy is about opportunity and fairness. Many of the 56 who joined the first intake come from schools and communities with limited facilities. Now, they have access to world-class coaching, proper nutrition, modern athletic gear, and the chance to compete internationally – things which were once beyond them. Just as importantly, the programme ensures that their education, wellbeing, and personal development are supported, so they grow not only as athletes but also as individuals.
For Sri Lanka, the academy means a long-term investment in sporting excellence and national pride. For athletics, it represents a much-needed structured pathway to global success. For the people, it offers hope, inspiration, and role models to look up to. And for MAS, it is a way of giving back – using its resources and expertise to create a lasting impression on the country’s sporting future.
Looking back one year ago, tell us about some of the greatest achievements so far?
Over the past year, the MAS Athlete Training Academy has celebrated some of its greatest achievements winning a total of 28 medals, with athletes making their mark at international, Asian, and regional levels.
In the Junior level: Asian and World Championships for 2024-2025, out of 49 total participants, 30 (61%) were from the academy, and they secured 11 (69%) of the 16 total medals awarded. This category includes the World U20, Asian U20, and Asian U18 championships. For the South Asian Junior Championships 2024, academy athletes made up 21 of the 55 participants and won 16 of the 35 total medals. At the Senior level: Asian Athletics Championship 2025, five of the 20 total participants were academy athletes, who contributed one of the three total medals.
Looking at specific overseas events, at the South Asian U20 (Junior) Athletics Championship 2024 in Chennai, India, 21 out of 53 athletes were from the academy, and our athletes secured eight gold, five silver, and three bronze medals. In the Asian U20 (Junior) Athletics Championship 2024 in Dubai, 12 of the 16 athletes were from the academy, winning two silver and two bronze medals.
For the World U20 (Junior) Athletics Championship 2024 in Lima, Peru, nine of the 12 athletes were academy athletes. At the Asian U18 Athletics Championship 2025 in Saudi Arabia, nine of the 21 athletes were from the academy (along with two coaches), achieving one gold, three silver, and two bronze medals.
The Asian Athletics Championship 2025 in Gumi, Korea, saw five academy athletes out of 20, winning one bronze medal out of three total bronze medals. Furthermore, in the Thailand Open Track and Field Championship 2025, two academy athletes (and one coach) participated, earning one gold and one silver medal. At the World Athletics Continental Tour in Odisha, India, two academy athletes (and one coach) out of nine participants secured one gold medal as well.
Currently how many athletes are a part of the team?
We currently have 53 athletes who were selected from across the country’s nine provinces, representing the short, mid, and long-distance track events as well as numerous field events. The MAS Athlete Training Academy represents a substantial commitment, with an investment of Rs. 650 million over eight years, marking it as Sri Lanka’s largest public-private partnership in athletics development.
How does the academy ensure that such a significant investment translates into consistent quality, unwavering athlete commitment, and eventually, world-class performance?
The academy employs a multi-faceted approach to ensure that its substantial investment directly fosters consistent quality, athlete commitment, and peak performance. Firstly, a transparent athlete grading system is central to maintaining quality and accountability. Athletes are rigorously evaluated based on their performance relative to Asian rankings, creating clear pathways for development and stratified support allocation. This means that elite performers (A+ athletes) receive comprehensive support, including full scholarships, advanced sport science, and regular international exposure, while other categories also benefit from tailored training and support based on their progress.
To track and drive commitment, the academy has a robust evaluation mechanism. This includes a bi-annual evaluation based on pre-defined criteria, measuring and reviewing athlete performance and grading them, with the first grading after two years, beginning next year. A crucial tool in this process is the new internal mobile application, targeted for a mid-September launch. This free application for all stakeholders will facilitate daily performance tracking, allowing athletes to update and coaches to monitor metrics for optimising training. It also includes training schedule management, academic performance monitoring to ensure a balanced focus, health and nutrition tracking (including injuries), and direct coach-athlete communication, all designed to make athletes feel supported and valued.
Furthermore, the academy ensures quality and commitment through operational efficiencies like uniform payment schedules, standardised nutrition programmes, and defined travel protocols for international competitions, reducing issues and ensuring smoother participation. Experienced plant coordinators, who are key liaisons for athletes, parents, and coaches, facilitate better communication and faster solutions, reinforcing support. A structured code of conduct also establishes clearer expectations and stronger professional standards. The academy’s comprehensive sports science and nutrition support through partnerships provides personalised diet plans, biomechanical analysis, and mental performance support, which are critical for elite performance and athlete wellbeing. Finally, by investing in athletes’ long-term sustainability through scholarships for local degree programmes (e.g., with SLIIT) and supporting overseas higher education, the academy fosters deep commitment by demonstrating care for their futures beyond sports.
Also could you introduce the team behind the scenes at MAS who are putting this together?
Behind the MAS Athlete Training Academy is a dedicated team at MAS Holdings, working tirelessly to make this vision a reality. The leadership at MAS has been a key driving force, supported by the executive team, who saw the potential of a public-private partnership to boost Sri Lanka’s sporting future. The academy works closely with national institutions like the Ministry of Youth affairs and Sports, Ministry of Education, the National Olympic Committee, Sri Lanka Athletics and the Sri Lanka Olympian Association. These partnerships make sure the programme is not only privately funded, but also part of the country’s wider sports development plan.
A specialised team at MAS focuses on athlete development, sports science, and planning. They handle everything from identifying and testing athletes to providing nutrition, education, and international exposure. Along with experienced coaches, technical experts, and mentors, this team brings together corporate support, government collaboration, and sporting expertise.
Why should corporations engage more with the sporting scene in SL?
Corporate engagement in sports is not just about sponsorship. The success of sports, particularly athletics, requires long-term investment in training facilities, nutrition, coaching, and international exposure. Government resources alone are often not sufficient to address these gaps. By stepping in, corporations can help bridge this gap and unlock the true potential of Sri Lankan athletes.
We felt it was time to take athletics in Sri Lanka pretty seriously. Through MAS Athlete Training Academy, funded with an investment of over Rs. 650 million – a significant commitment – we are identifying, developing, and supporting promising young athletes to represent Sri Lanka at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the Brisbane Olympics four years later.
We want to harness the potential of Lankan athletes and prepare them to compete at the highest global events. As the largest exporter in the country, MAS believes in leading by example: instead of sitting and complaining about the challenges in our sporting ecosystem, we are taking action. Sports inspire unity, resilience, and national pride, and by investing in our athletes today, we are investing in the future of Lanka’s youth and the nation as a whole.
What are the key targets/goals of the academy?
Our paramount aim is to develop a pool of well-trained athletes to make a successful representation at the 2028 Olympics in the US and to achieve victories at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. To reach these ambitious goals, our strategic vision is to elevate our A+ athletes to world-class competitive levels through targeted international exposure, specialised training opportunities, and comprehensive support systems addressing both athletic performance and holistic development.
We are deeply devoted to providing a clear and transparent pathway for athlete development and support allocation. Our structured grading system, based on performance relative to Asian rankings, ensures a stratified support system, where elite performers receive full scholarships, advanced sport science, and regular international exposure, while other categories also benefit from tailored training and support.
Furthermore, we prioritise holistic development and long-term sustainability, evident in our partnerships with institutions like SLIIT for local degree sponsorships and support for overseas higher education, ensuring athletes’ futures beyond sport. To underpin all these efforts, we continually strive for operational efficiency and process improvement, implementing uniform payment schedules and standardising our nutrition programme. This is complemented by enhancing digital connectivity through our new, free mobile application, which will facilitate daily performance, academic, and health tracking, along with direct coach-athlete communication, ensuring our athletes feel truly supported and valued.
What is the process to enter the academy?
The process to enter the MAS Athlete Training Academy is a comprehensive journey designed to identify and select top athletic talent. It commences with the identification of athletes from all-Island school games, a crucial initial step that is facilitated by an independent group including representatives from Sri Lanka Athletics, and the Ministry of Education together with a panel of technical experts.
Following this initial identification, these selected athletes are then put through a rigorous and comprehensive test battery. This selection is a multi-phased procedure. The initial phase identifies a large group of athletes, which is then significantly narrowed down in a test battery. From this reduced pool, a final group of athletes is ultimately chosen to join the academy.