18th Edition of the National Olympic Academy Proceedings in Bandarawela
Updated Date: 1st December, 2022
National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC Sri Lanka) conducts its 18th Annual Proceedings of the National Olympic Academy (NOA) at National Holiday Resort, Bandarawela from 1st to 4th December 2022.
As it is widely evident, Sri Lanka is at a crucial juncture today. The character of the country will be the character of its people. As a responsible organization, NOC Sri Lanka with its academic wing NOA has decided to continue playing an accelerated role of responsive leadership to contribute to our culture, education, and sport. To achieve this final aim: the character of the country, the NOA’s program including its’ events contributes to providing exposure to ‘Olympism’ based culture.
NOA has diverted its’ traditional track thinking presently and gaining momentum towards a forgotten or partially not protected segment: Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024). This segment has and will be experiencing negative life alteration seriously to become the victims of Covid-19 and the economic crisis that we experience in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, they are a growing generation with very limited protection and concern from only a few institutes and organisations. While the times affect us all, the impacts are greater when experienced in our formative years. The age at which we’re exposed to new technology or transformative event determines how embedded it will be in our psyche and lifestyle. As the first generation to be entirely born in the 21st Century, the influences that shape them are different to previous generations.
To reach generation alpha realistically is to connect with primary school teachers. NOA of NOC Sri Lanka will embrace 1000 primary school teachers from different regions in Sri Lanka whose expectations are synchronised with the said objectives to enhance the efforts of protecting the alpha generation and their future filled with Olympism-based aspiration to make a positive outcome through this situation. Introducing thenceforth the Olympism (and Olympic Values Education Program) to implement the programs in their respective school context or in a similar community.
NOA 2022 Proceeding is designed as a four-day residential program held in Bandarawela, included of sessions, workshops, a field trip, a cultural exchange program and minor games, where a 30 selected cohorts from the targeted primary teacher community will be trained as trainers. Assisting the NOC Sri Lanka to propagate ‘Olympism’ through education and expand its functions within the Olympic Charter to reach the objectives of the Olympic Movement is the role of the NOA. The objectives will follow to Promote ‘Olympism’ as a philosophy of life; Harmonious development of man; Enhance the knowledge and understating of Olympism and the Olympic Charter in all activities; Peace through sport; Universal; and non-discriminatory.
At present NOA – NOC Sri Lanka is recognized as the leader of the South Asian region and has supported a number of NOCs of the region to initiate and develop the concept of NOAs involving youth and children in Olympism-based educational initiatives. As a result of expanded connections seven participants from Pakistan (1), Maldives (4), and Nepal (2) will be joining this year’s proceedings to join with local participants.
Previous NOAs have embraced approximately 1100 youth who participated locally and 90 regionally. Among them (each year) two participants (a male and a female) who contributed excellently to the proceedings by expressing an understanding of its philosophy and vision have got a chance to participate at the International Olympic Academy (IOA)’s Annual Proceedings for young participants organized by the International Olympic Academy in Ancient Olympia, Greece. NOA expects to continue the tradition where excellence is reflected through participants of this year's proceedings as well.
The NOA was initiated in Sri Lanka in 2001 by Mr. Hemasiri Fernando, then President of NOC Sri Lanka. Since then, NOC Sri Lanka has organised 17 NOA Annual Proceedings under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. The proceedings of the 18th edition (NOA 2022) are organised under the direction of Mr. Suresh Subramaniam (President, NOC Sri Lanka), Mr. Maxwell de Silva (Secretary-General, NOC Sri Lanka), Mr. Chandana Liyanage (Director, NOA 2022), and Prof. B.L.H. Perera (Academic Program Director, NOC Sri Lanka). A team of eight dedicated volunteer scholars (invited by the NOC Sri Lanka) – Ms. Eranga C. Fernando, Mr. Pathum Weerakkody, Rv. Bro. Jayakanthan, Mr. Jude Amarasinghe, Mr. Lakna Waravita, Ms. Madhubashi Y.W. Fernando, Ms. Shalini Dissanayake, and Mr. Denzil Darling will contribute to conducting the program onsite as Group Leaders.
Exposing the theme ‘Olympism Towards Prospering the National Character’, the opening ceremony of the proceedings was held on 1st December 2022 at National Holiday Resort, Banadarawela.
