Minister Ranasinghe (L) with Dr. Shemal Fernando
Dr. Shemal Fernando, PhD was appointed the new Director General of Sports after receiving Cabinet approval, the Ministry of Sports confirmed in a statement yesterday.
Dr. Fernando was recommended to the position by the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Roshan Ranasinghe. Dr. Fernando is the first Sri Lankan to achieve a doctoral degree (PhD) in sports science in a Sri Lankan university, and has fulfilled the strong criteria outlined for the key post in the country’s sports, and topped the ‘Merit List’ compiled by a Cabinet Appointed Committee chaired by Anura Dissanayake, the Secretary to the Prime Minister, which included Donald Fernando, the Secretary to the Cabinet and Mr. K. Mahesan, the Secretary Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs.
“Dr. Fernando has also completed the International Olympic Committee’s academic degree, an Executive MSc on sports administration, securing an Olympic Solidarity scholarship. Besides, his credentials include a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and a Master of Science (MSc) in management spheres and the International Staff Course at the prestigious United States’ Naval War College and host of other post-graduate qualifications,” the Sports Ministry statement read.
“He is the recipient of the prestigious Presidential Sports Award for Sri Lanka’s Most Outstanding Sports Science Academic in 2017 and 2018 as well as Silk Sports Award for the Outstanding Academic Achiever of 2018. He is also chosen the first in the “Order of Merit” of the Kotelawala Defence University Convocation for his doctoral thesis on “strategies to win elite medals for Sri Lanka in sports.””
Dr. Fernando also served in the Sri Lanka Navy where he rose to the two-star rank of an Admiral, and held key Director General posts at Naval Headquarters.
