CEO of MAS Holdings, Suren Fernando (left) handing over the ceremonial kit to President, NPC, Lt. Col. Deepal Herath and Captain of the 2024 Sri Lankan Paralympics contingent, Samitha Dulan (Pic by Nimalsiri Edirisinghe) 

By Susil Premalal

MAS Holdings was announced as the official clothing partner of the National Paralympics Committee (NPC) of Sri Lanka during the official unveiling and handover event.
As part of this partnership, MAS will provide the ceremonial kit for all Sri Lankan para-athletes and track, swim and wheelchair tennis kits for the athletes competing in the Paralympics Games 2024 from August 28 to September 8 in Paris, France.
Sri Lanka has won one Gold Medal and three Bronze Medals in the history of the Paralympic Games.
Recognising the unique challenges faced by persons with disabilities, MAS first ventured into the Adaptive Apparel space in 2019 conducting research and development of innovative products that enable independent dressing.
MAS first partnered with the NPC in 2021, providing the athletes with lifestyle clothing and performance wear for training, selection trials and competitions locally and globally.
“We are thrilled to support Sri Lankan para-athletes on the global stage as we have done over the years. Their performance has brought pride to Sri Lanka and we hope through this continued commitment, we enable them to perform at their best in the upcoming games,” said Suren Fernando, CEO of MAS Holdings.
Lt. Col. Deepal Herath, President of the NPC and Chef-de-Mission of Sri Lanka’s Paris 2024 Paralympics contingent, added: “This collaboration with MAS Holdings means a great deal for us, as it ensures our athletes have the highest quality attire for their competitions on par with global competitors. This partnership goes a long way in empowering our athletes.”
The design of the 2024 Paralympics track kit is inspired by Sri Lanka’s rich wildlife. Along with Sri Lanka’s emblematic Lion, the print designs reflect a combination of patterns extracted from Sri Lanka’s endemic animals such as the Sri Lankan leopard, Sri Lankan jungle fowl and lionfish. The Paralympics T-Shirt features a bold lion print and the national flag.
The Sri Lanka Paralympics 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).