Vijitha Fernando and Sports in Sri Lanka

The DailyMirror wishes to recognise the immense contribution to Sri Lankan sports journalism made by its former journalist Vijitha Fernando who passed away last Saturday. 

Fernando wrote a regular sports column for the DailyMirror and won the Sports Journalist of the Year Award on multiple occasions. 

From his early days as a school boy at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, Fernando  was involved in swimming. At the behest of Warden Cannon De Saram, he was the secretary of the CASA which was the founding national organisation for swimming in Sri Lanka at the time that Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake was its President, with the Board comprising the heads of top corporations in Sri Lanka. Through his work as Secretary, Fernando learned to be careful in writing minutes and proper procedures at meetings. 

Armed with a brief recommendation letter from Dudley Senanayake, he later emigrated to the United States, to go to banking school which enabled him to join Chase Manhattan and later the World Bank.

His support for Sri Lankan sports never faltered, from responding to individual requests such as paying a trainee diver’s insurance for training in the US, to funding a rifle shooting team to go to an international competition, to buying innumerable equipment for sportsmen and women (especially shoes for athletes). 

He sought to bring the latest knowledge to Sri Lanka through subscriptions to sports journals for swimming associations and coaches, organizing training camps and campaigns. Fernando funded the Panadura Aquatic Club for many years where children were taught to swim from a platform over the river before the Club itself took shape with the help of Minister Milinda Moragoda.

A major milestone was when Fernando initiated the Duncan White Foundation to bring another Olympic Medal to Sri Lanka and all were delighted when Susanthika Jayasinghe did just that; her training in the USA, and even special running shoes, being funded by Sri Lankan sports enthusiasts. 

Returning to Sri Lanka, Fernando wrote a sports column for the Daily Mirror and was awarded the sports journalist of the year award several times. His courageous writing, running the risk of exposing corruption and scandals, earned him many accolades. 

Throughout, the joy of his life was to help S. Thomas’ College through the Old Boys’ Association, and he rendered great support to raise the school’s achievements in sports ,especially swimming. The school in turn honoured him by draping the College flag over the coffin and being pall-bearers last Monday on Vijitha’s final journey.