IOC Award to SL climber Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala

By Susil Premalal

Sri Lankan climber Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala was presented with the IOC Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Champions Award for Asia at the 43rd OCA General Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday.
Jayanthi is a Women’s rights activist with 20 years of experience and has been a rock climber and mountaineer for nearly as long.
In 2016, Jayanthi became the first Sri Lankan to summit Mount Everest and was included in the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and Influential Women from around the world.
Jayanthi works as an independent consultant and is currently the Gender and Human Rights Advisor at the Family Planning Association in Sri Lanka.
On being announced as the IOC winner in Asia, Jayanthi said: “Thrilled and humbled to be awarded the International Olympic Committee’s 2023 Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Champions Award for Asia.”
“Encouraging women and girls’ to engage in sport and challenge gender stereotypes is a cause close to me. Together with friends, we have created a safe and non-judgmental space to do so over the
past five years through rock climbing workshops for women and girls’.”
The IOC presents this award – formerly known as the Women and Sport Awards – annually to all five continental associations, as well as a World award, and this year selected Jayanthi as the Asia winner.