Dialog powers National Para Athletics Meet

Group Chief Marketing Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC Lasantha Theverapperuma (third from right) handing over the sponsorship to Col. Deepal Hearth (President, NPC). Also in the picture are (from left): Kanchana de Silva (Secretary, NPC), Brig. Dhananjaya Aludeniya (Vice-President, NPC), Asanga Priyadarshana (Group Chief of Risk and Compliance and Head of Sustainability, Dialog Axiata PLC) and Dilini Wariyapola (Treasurer, NPC)

Dialog Axiata PLC announced its support of the National Para Athletics Championship 2024, organised under the aegis of the National Paralympics Committee (NPC) of Sri Lanka, the official governing body of disabled sports in the island on May 11 and 12 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex in Diyagama. 

The premier athletic championship organised in Sri Lanka for para athletes will bring together over 600 athletes representing more than 45 sports clubs affiliated to the NPC from different provinces of the country.

The NPC provides opportunities for three disability groups, namely men and women with visual impairments, physical impairments and intellectual disabilities to showcase their talents.

Dialog is the proud sponsor of the NPC and has a long history of more than two decades with paralympic sports in Sri Lanka. 

The company first sponsored the Sri Lanka Paralympic contingent in 2000, followed by 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 including sponsorship of the National Para Athletics Championship. 

This partnership has been instrumental in fostering a conducive environment for the remarkable success of Sri Lankan para athletes on the global stage. Noteworthy accomplishments include securing one Gold and three Bronze Medals at the Paralympics Games, two Silver and three Bronze Medals at the World Para Athletic Championships and a Silver Medal at the Commonwealth Games. 

Moreover, Sri Lankan athletes have demonstrated exceptional prowess at the Asian Para Games, amassing an impressive tally of nine Gold, 18 Silver and 22 Bronze Medals over the years.

The partnership with NPC aligns with the company’s ongoing dedication to empowering individuals with disabilities through sponsorships such as this, as well as by advancing disability inclusion through assistive technology. 

Over the years, Dialog has made great strides in realising this vision with initiatives such as the launch of DeafTawk, an on-demand sign language interpretation service, the Ratmalana Audiology Centre, Jaffna Speech Centre and most recently, the revamp of dialog.lk to be more accessible to people with disabilities.