Winter Sport in Sri Lanka

The following story comes from Ellen Kim, SportWORKS Officer in Sri Lanka.

In November 2012, the NOC Sri Lanka was approached by the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games Organizing Committee with an invitation to the Dream Program, a fully-funded winter sports academy for athletes from developing countries and tropical climates. The program consisted of an intensive training program, master classes with Olympic medalists, cultural experience and fellowship, and the opportunity to stay and train at the Alpensia Resort, future Olympic village of the 2018 Games. The Dream Program had touched over 1,083 participants from 50 different countries over its 9 year run and it was a great privilege for the NOC Sri Lanka to have received an invitation for the first time.

As my family comes from a Korean background, I felt a curious personal connection and investment in the project. While invitations such as these are not always given the utmost priority at the NOC, I decided that it was my responsibility to ensure that this opportunity was fully utilized. I immediately put out a call for applications but disappointingly received no interest. The idea of winter sports is (justifiably) daunting and far-fetched in Sri Lanka and I personally believe that it was the fear of the unknown and lack of exposure that led to this disinterest. Still, I felt a tug towards the project and thus started to utilize my personal contacts in the sporting community to garner interest of some young athletes. A friend and P.E. teacher, who also manages his own football academy, was immediately interested on the project and forwarded the names of his athletes to me. From there, the NOC interviewed and selected three young, demonstrated athletes to represent Sri Lanka in Korea. Of the choices of skiing, snowboarding, figure skating, and speed skating, all of our athletes opted to try snowboarding. It took some encouragement and coaxing to finally have all athletes and parents commit to the program, but in the end they were on a plane to Korea to take part.

Throughout their time in Korea, I received countless updates, emails, and pictures from the team which were so rewarding to see. For these athletes, it was the first time they had encountered snow, and the first time they had had a chance to interact with so many youth from different cultures. The 2013 program saw a total of 166 young participants from over 40 different countries and was what I believe to be a wonderful example of the power of sport and its ability to promote the exchange of culture and friendship, its ability to unify people of different ethnic, religious, social, and cultural backgrounds. Homesickness and fear were conquered as the athletes were awakened to a sense of discovery and mastery of a new skill. They had the chance to tour Seoul, experience Korean Winter Festivals, and try their hand at cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, curling, and ice hockey. The organization of the event was at the highest level and all energy was focused on developing the athletes – not as young children, but as future champions.

Fresh off an experience that they describe as amazing and one-of-a-kind, all three athletes from Sri Lanka have expressed a keen interest to continue snowboarding and dabbling in winter sports. Their experience and enthusiasm has ignited a huge spark amongst the young athletic community and has opened many eyes to the opportunities and potential that exist for the talented youth of this country. Speaking with our athletes upon their return to Sri Lanka was one of those ‘moments’ when I felt so grateful and lucky to be working in a role that allows me to give and facilitate opportunities for deserving athletes. I am very appreciative of the coach who believed in his athletes to take on this challenge, and I am proud of the risk that our youth took. I also feel a sense of pride and patriotism for the work that the POCOG is doing, fulfilling their promise to the international sports world to expand the base of winter sports.

Among all past participants of the Dream Program, 46 athletes have actually gone on to represent their countries in international winter sport events such as the Winter Olympics, Winter Youth Olympics, and World Championships. It is my hope that Sri Lanka’s participation in this program will pave the way for further opportunities and encourage our youth to dream bigger. Perhaps this is the beginning of a journey where we will one day see Sri Lankan representation at winter sport events too!