Nine-member squad for Paralympic Games

By: Susil Premalal

(Colombo) - Sri Lanka will field a nine-member contingent for the 2024 Paralympic Games, sources from the National Paralympic Committee of Sri Lanka revealed.

The 2024 Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8 in Paris, France.

The Sri Lanka Paralympic Team will include seven athletes, one swimmer, and one wheelchair tennis player. The Sri Lankan Paralympic Squad will include only one female athlete. 

The Sports Ministry has allocated LKR 12 million for the Sri Lanka Paralympic Squad, Director General, Department of Sports Development Professor Shemal Fernando told the Daily Mirror yesterday. 

Over 500 athletes will participate in the 2024 Paralympic Games in 22 different sports disciplines.

Sri Lanka have won one gold medal and three bronze medals in the Paralympic Games history.

Dinesh Priyantha won gold and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, respectively, while Pradeep Sanjaya won bronze at the 2012 London Paralympic Games and Dulan Kodithuwakku won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

• The Sri Lanka Paralympic Squad:

Athletic: Samitha Dulan (Men’s F-44 javelin throw), Nuwan Indika (Men’s T-44 100m), Pradeep Somasiri (Men’s T-46 1,500m), Palitha Bandara (Men’s F-42 shot put), Prasanna Jayalath (Men’s T-42 100m), and Janani Dhananjaya (Women’s T-47 long jump).
Swimming: Naveed Rasheen (Men’s S-9 400m freestyle).
Wheelchair tennis: Ranjith Dharshana (Men’s Open Singles).